Toshodaiji Temple

JAPAN, Nara

This temple is the head temple of the Vinaya school of Japanese Buddhism. In 759 during the Nara period, Chinese Master Jianzhen constructed the temple on the site of a residence donated by Prince Niitabe. During the Edo period (1615–1868) some of the buildings were destroyed by fire. The layout from the Nara period has been preserved and, as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, it was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.
The principal extant buildings include the Golden Hall, lecture hall, worship hall, founder’s hall, sutra repository, treasure hall, drum tower, and ordination platform. A number of them were listed as National Treasures during the 1950s.
The seven-by-four bay Golden Hall was built in High Tang (712–756) architectural style. It has a single-eave hip roof covered in cylindrical tiles. The columns are tapered and have a diameter of approximately 60 cm. Even though the building has undergone a number of repairs, it still retains its original appearance and it is the only extant main hall built during the Nara period. It houses a Vairocana Buddha statue flanked by the Medicine Buddha and the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, as well as Brahman, Sakra, and the Four Heavenly Kings. These lacquered wooden statues on stone Sumeru thrones are listed as National Treasures.
The nine-by-four bay lecture hall has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered in cylindrical tiles. A seated statue of the Maitreya Buddha is enshrined within the hall. The three-by-three bay sutra repository has a hip roof covered with cylindrical tiles. Internally it is built in azekura style with good ventilation. The repository houses a number of works of art, including a gilt bronze turtle relic pagoda listed as a National Treasure, and Nara period wooden sculptures of the Medicine Buddha and Lion’s Roar Bodhisattva.