Todaiji Temple 東大寺

Description

Todaiji Temple houses Japan’s largest ancient Buddha statue in one of the world’s largest wooden buildings, but they are not the only massive structures in this historically significant complex. The Nandaimon Gate, rebuilt in 1203, stands over 25 meters tall and is the largest temple entrance gate in the country, and the huge bell dating from the time of Todaiji’s founding in the eighth century weighs over 26 tons. Construction of the bronze Great Buddha statue started in 745 in accordance with the wishes of Emperor Shomu (701 - 756), who aimed to spread Buddhism across the country with an extensive network of temples. Hopes were high that the new statue would help drive off a smallpox plague that had been sweeping through Japan. The current statue is 15 meters high, having lost its head at one point in an earthquake. The original 16-meter statue was completed in 752, and it is said that 2.6 million people contributed in some way to its construction. The Great Buddha Hall has been destroyed by fire twice. The wooden hall?which is over 50 meters long, 57 meters wide and 48 meters high?was last rebuilt in 1709, albeit narrower than the original. One of the hall’s pillars has a hole near its base that is about the size of the Great Buddha’s nostril. It is said that any person who can squeeze through this opening will have good health, although only energetic children are usually able to wriggle through. The Shosoin Repository on the Todaiji grounds stores many items and artifacts thought to date from the eighth century, including objects that belonged to Emperor Shomu. The elevated repository has kept these treasures in remarkably good condition (and out of reach of the unusually tame deer from the adjacent Nara Park, who often wander through the temple grounds), but the building can only be viewed from the outside.