Todaiji Temple Lotus Hall

JAPAN, Nara

Located within Todaiji (Great Eastern Temple), the hall is said to have been constructed as the main hall by Master Roben in 733 during the Nara period. A statue of Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara is enshrined in the hall and it is therefore also commonly known as Amoghapasa Hall. During the third month of each year, the hall was used to chant the Lotus Sutra and it became known as the Lotus Hall since the Heian period (794–1185). It was also referred to as the Third Month Hall during the Edo period (1615–1868). In 1951 it was listed as a National Treasure.
The hall consists of the meditation hall on the left and the worship hall on the right. The meditation hall was constructed when the temple was founded and the worship hall was added in 1199 during the Kamakura period by monk Shunjobo Chogen. The four-by-four bay meditation hall has a hip roof, while the five-by-two bay worship hall has a hip-and-gable roof. The roofs of both buildings, connected in a T-shape, are covered with cylindrical tiles. Although this five-by-eight bay structure is asymmetrical, there is nevertheless a sense of balance in the layout. This simple and elegant building is a valuable example of a twin hall structure.
Other than Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara, the hall also houses 16 excellent works of art from the Nara period (710–794), including Candraprabha Bodhisattva, Suryaprabha Bodhisattva, Brahma, Sakra, and the Four Heavenly Kings.