Things to see and do Nara

Located in the north of Nara Park, it is one of the most famous temple complexes in Nara and Japan. Listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, it is so large and there is so much to see that one can easily spend the afternoon there. Tōdai-ji was built in the ^8th century by order of Emperor Shōmu. After a series of natural disasters, the emperor decided that every province would have a Buddhist temple and that Tōdai-ji would be built to be at the head of these temples. The emperor's political plan was to create a centralized state based on Buddhism. Construction took over 20 years, and the temple opened in 752. It held immense power during the Nara period but declined when the capital was moved to Kyoto in 794. Destroyed or burned several times, notably by the Taira clan in 1180, and rebuilt in 1195 by the monk Chōgen Sunjōbō, it was burned again in 1567 and rebuilt by Tsunayoshi Tokugawa in 1708. Its last restoration was in 1980. Originally, the Tōdai-ji included, in addition to the current buildings, 2 large pagodas with 10 and 7 floors. The Tōdaiji houses the Daibutsuden, the Buddha pavilion, and other pavilions scattered throughout a large park.

Daibutsu-den or Kon-dō. In front of the building, a stone pillar is topped by an octagonal lantern dating from the ^8th century. The Daibutsu-den, which houses the gigantic bronze statue of Buddha, is 57 m long and 50 m wide. Its height is 47 meters. It is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, yet it is only a modest reconstruction of the original building. It consists of a double roof, supported by pillars knotted together by a metal ring to support the gigantic weight (450 tons). The building was constructed in four years, from 747 to 751, at the same time as the statue. The statue itself represents Vairocana Buddha, or Resplendent Buddha. It is 15 meters high and weighs 450 tons. It is the largest statue of this Buddha in the world. It was cast in 749 with a special technique called garakuri. It was first damaged by an earthquake in 885, then in the successive fires in 1180 and 1567, but the statue was always repaired. Nevertheless, the renovations made it lose its homogeneity. Thanks to X-rays, a tooth, pearls, mirrors and swords were discovered in the knee of the statue. These are believed to be relics of the emperor Shōmu.

Nandai-mon. South Gate. It was built in 1199 and is 29 m high and 11 m deep. The building is five ken (1 ken is 182 centimeters) in length and two ken in depth. This gate, built in the Tenjiku-yō style, houses two large statues of Nio executed by Unkei and Kaikei. One has a closed mouth and the other an open mouth. It gives off an impression of powerful anger and determination. Behind the two statues are 2 lion dogs (koma-inu) executed by the Chinese sculptor Chinnakei in 1196.

Chū-mon is connected to Daibutsu-den by corridors. Near the Mirror Pond, one will notice the locations of the two pagodas, seven and ten stories high respectively.

Nigatsu-dō. Founded in 752, it was rebuilt in 1669. This hall houses two statues of Kannon, one of which is said to have been found in Ōsaka Bay by the monk Jichū. Visiting this hall is not permitted to the public.

Hokke-dō. This hall was built by Ryōben, a member of the Kegon-Shū sect in 733. Sculptures dating from the ^8th to the ^14th centuries can be seen here.

Shōrō (or belfry). Built in 1239, it contains the largest clapperless bell in Japan.

Kaisan-dō (Founder's Hall). Built in 1019 and rebuilt in 1250 in the Tenjiku-yō style. It contains a statue of Ryōben which is usually only visible on December 16.

Kaidan-in (Ordination Hall). It contains the clay Shi-Tennō, guardians of the Four Directions and dating from the Tempyō period, during the reign of Emperor Shōmu, from 729 to 749.

Shōsō-in (imperial treasure). Located north of Daibutsu-den, the building was constructed in 760 in the azekura-zukuri (kura: granaries) style. The building is supported by forty pillars with a height of 2.50 meters. The roof is in Yosemune style and covered with tiles. Nowadays, the treasure is kept in Nara National Museum. It is exhibited every year from the end of October to the beginning of November.

Tegai-mon. This is one of the oldest buildings in the temple as it dates back to 752. According to legend, walking in front of this building is supposed to cure diseases. The Shunjō-dō holds a statue of Chōgen Sunjōbō that can only be seen on July 5.

Kasuga Taisha. This shrine is located southeast of Todai-ji. It was founded in 709 by Fuhitō Fujiwara and dedicated to the deity Takemikazuchi of Kashima Jingū Shrine. The three thousand bronze and stone lanterns that adorn the park are illuminated only twice a year, during setsubun (February) and o-bon (August). The shrine had many buildings which did not all escape the terrible fires. Nevertheless, one can still notice the Nandai-mon gate (1179) which opens on the first courtyard. Then, after the Chū mon gate, one reaches another courtyard, where four Nagare-zukuri (asymmetrical roofs) style shrines stand. The shrine is known for its theater and music arts.

Right in the center, this public park of nearly 500 hectares is simply impossible to miss. Between the deer and the many temples it houses, one is bound to cross it at some point. Within this vast area that stretches 4 kilometers from east to west and 2 kilometers from north to south, sacred deer roam freely among picnic tables, long walkways and architectural wonders. If this is the heart of Nara city, it is almost the heart of the entire trip!

Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful temples in Nara, Kōfuku-ji has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1998. It was the headquarters of the Hossō sect, which professes that all phenomena are projections of the spirit. Tutelary temple of the Fujiwara, a dynasty founded in 669 in Yamashina by Kamatari Fujiwara (614-669), patriarch of the Fujiwara dynasty that ruled Japan until the 12th century. The son, Fuhitōfujiwara, with the support of the empress Genshō (681-748) and the emperor Shōmu (689-756), had the temple dismantled and moved to Nara in 710. It was, at the time, one of the first religious establishments in the new capital. It belonged to what was called the Nanto Shichi Daiji, that is to say the "seven great temples", which included the following Buddhist temples spread in the ancient city of Nara: Daian-ji, Gango-ji, Horyu-ji, Kofuku-ji, Saidai-ji, Todai-ji and Yakushi-ji. Many of them are still visible today and reveal the splendor of the capital. Originally, the temple consisted of 175 buildings. Its present appearance is what remained of the original temple after the fire of 1717. When you visit this huge complex, you can see the following buildings:

The mainGolden Pavilion burned seven times. It was only recently rebuilt to its original proportions, and reopened in October 2018. It houses, among other things, Boddisattva statues from the Kamakura period, and the Hossō pillar with portraits of all the patriarchs of the sect.

Hokuendō. Small octagonal hall, built in memory of Fuhitōfujiwara in 1143 and restored in 1208.

Sanjū-no-tō. A famous 3-story pagoda, symbolic of Nara, it houses beautifully painted Buddhas.

Tō-kon-dō (Eastern Golden Pavilion). Dedicated to Empress Genshō and built in 726, it was restored in 1415 for the last time.

Other buildings: On the other side, the Western Golden Pavilion, the Sai-Kon-dō.

Opposite the Gojūnotō Pagoda is the Nan En-dō, another octagonal building founded in 843 by Fuyutsugu Fujiwara and which was restored in 1741. Of note is a statue of Kannon executed by Kokei in 1189. As for the pagoda, it is five stories high. It is one of the highest in the country.

Kokuho-kan. National Treasures Museum, it is the most recent building of the site which was built in 1959 to house and protect the wonders of Nara temples.

Sarusawa Pond reflects the five-story pagoda on full moon nights.

The Yakushi-ji was founded in 690 in Fujiwara-kyō, and dedicated to the Healing Buddha to cure the emperor's illness Jitō. Later transferred to Nara at Nishinokyō in 718, it represents one of the best artistic examples of the period Hakuhō. As such, it is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the heart of the temple, which takes the form of a main building and two symmetrical pagodas, several treasures can be seen.

The main pavilion

(Kon-dō). It contains a bronze trinity representing the Yakushi Nyorai (Healing Buddha) and his attendants Nikkō and Gakkō. The latter are admirable sculptures.

The Eastern Pagoda

(Tō-tō). 35 m high, it was built in 730 in the style of wa-yō. It has only three floors, but the mokoshi in between seem to give it double that.

The Zen pavilion

(dō-dō). Dating from 1285, it exposes the statue of Kadura Kannon and other statues of guardians dating from the Muromachi period. It is the oldest zen pavilion in Japan.

Bussoku-dō. Behind the pagoda, a room preserves a stone in which the Buddha's imprint (753) is engraved. It also has a stone writing desk where one can read a Chinese text readable only in phonetic symbols called man'yō-gana, i.e. used to superimpose Japanese readings on Chinese concepts or images. They are at the origin of today's Hiragana and are called man'yō-gana in reference to the collection of poems, the man'yō shū.

Temple built in 745 by the Empress Kōmyō. It became an important monastery that would control all the female monasteries of the province. Today, the only original building still standing is the three-storey pagoda, 24 m high, the oldest of its kind in Japan. The shrine has a statue of Kannon with eleven heads, each of which is said to bear a resemblance to the empress. It can only be seen from April 20 to May 7 and October 25 to November 8. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

Located in Ikaruga, about ten kilometers from Nara, and founded in 607 by Prince Shōtoku Taishi, this temple has the oldest wooden structure in the world and claims with strength and determination to be the national masterpiece of Asuka culture. It remains the oldest temple in Japan. To show his gratitude to Buddha for the healing of his father, the Emperor Yōmei (540-587), the prince Shōtoku had the temple built next to the Ikaruga no Miya Palace which he had built in 601. The Hōryū-ji consists of about 40 buildings divided into two areas: the western part, or Sai-in, and the eastern part, or Tōin. There is also a northern part, Kitamuro-in. The treasure is located between the eastern and western parts. It became the first Japanese site to be inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in December 1993 as an exceptional home to the richness of Buddhist culture. More than 15 major events take place every year. Remember to check the programme on the Internet.

Saiin. The western part (saiin) contains the main buildings of the Asuka period (7th and 8th centuries): Chūmon, Kondō and the five-storey pagoda Gojū-no-tō.

Chūmon. The middle gate is topped by a single storey and opens onto the courtyard which contains the other buildings. The two guardian kings Nio, dating from 711, face each other. They are the two oldest earthen statues in Japan.

Kondō. Golden pavilion. Main building erected on a stone base and consisting of two storeys with a four-sloped roof and two gables, the roof being made of a gabled roof. It features the Four Guardians of the World (shi-Tennō), who are among the oldest wooden statues in the world. It contains the Buddhist statues to which the temple is dedicated.

Gojū-no-tō. Five-storey pagoda, 32.50 metres high. Built according to the laws of perspective, it gives an impression of great stability due to its magnificent proportions, but also of height, enhanced by the subtle narrowing of each floor.

Daikōdō (reading room). To the north of the courtyard, closed by the gallery. The original building burnt down in 925 and a building from Kyōto was transferred to this site in 990. Inside, three statues. That of Yakushi Nyorai (this representation of Buddha called Yakushi) is supposed to cure all suffering and diseases.

Tothe west of Daikōdō, the Kyōzō dating from the 8th century and to the east, the belfry (Shōrō) from the 9th century. Back to the west, the Saiendō, built in memory of the wife of the prince Shōtoku, Princess Tachibana. A statue of Yakushi dating from the 8th century can be seen there.

Shōryōin (temple of the soul of Shōtoku). Located east of the court, this building was built in 1121 in memory of the prince Shōtoku and houses several statues of the prince, his sons and the monk Eji.

Daihōzōin (Great Treasure Room). Contemporary double concrete construction dating from 1941. The works of the temple as well as pieces from kūfu (the treasure shop) are exhibited there (the others can be found in the National Museum at Tōkyō).

Tōin. The central part is occupied by the Yumedono (Dreams Pavilion). This octagonal religious building is said to be the oldest in Japan. It dates from the Nara period (8th century). It is in this building that the prince Shōtoku Taishi received in his dreams the answer to his philosophical questions.