Todaiji Temple, Nara | Japan is Nippon

Home of Nara's Great Buddha, with nearly 1,300 years of history. Step into the vast wooden hall and the Buddha, about 15m tall, towers right in front of you.

The bronze Great Buddha of Todaiji seated inside the Great Buddha Hall — Photo: MAKIKO OMOKAWA, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Inside the Great Buddha Hall: the Great Buddha and a golden attendant Buddha statue — Photo: Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe/unframe.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A temple born of Emperor Shomu's wish

Todaiji was built in the Nara period at the wish of Emperor Shomu. In 743 he issued a mikotonori (an imperial edict) ordering a Great Buddha to be made, and in 752 a grand kaigen kuyo (an eye-opening ceremony that breathes spirit into a Buddha statue) celebrated its completion.

Later, fighting in 1180 and a battle in 1567 burned down the Great Buddha Hall and many other buildings. Each time, monks led the rebuilding: Chogen in the Kamakura period and Kokei in the Edo period. The present Great Buddha Hall was completed in 1709. In 1998 the temple was added to the World Heritage list as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara".

The Great Buddha Hall and Nara's Great Buddha

Seated inside the Great Buddha Hall is the Great Buddha, known as Rushana-butsu (Vairocana Buddha). It is about 15m tall, and its ears alone are about 2.5m long. Because it has been repaired many times, only parts such as the pedestal survive from the Nara period; much of the head and body was restored in medieval times or the Edo period.

Today's Great Buddha Hall is about two-thirds the width of the Nara-period original, but it is still a wooden building so big you have to crane your neck to take it in.

The Nio guardians of Nandaimon and Nigatsudo

Nandaimon (the Great South Gate), which stands at the start of the approach, is a large gate rebuilt in the Kamakura period. On either side of it stand wooden Kongo Rikishi statues (also called Nio: a pair of guardian figures that protect a temple gate), about 8.4m tall, said to have been made by Unkei, Kaikei and others in 1203 in just 69 days.

From Nigatsudo you can look out over the city of Nara. Every March it hosts Shuni-e, popularly known as Omizutori, a ritual that has been carried on since ancient times.

Getting there

It is about a 20-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station. By bus, get off at Todaiji Daibutsuden Kasuga Taisha-mae, about 5 minutes away. Because the temple is inside Nara Park, you will meet deer on the way. There is no dedicated car park, so if you come by car, use one nearby. Check opening hours and the admission fee on the official website.

Tips

Stop and look up at the Nio statues in Nandaimon before and after you pass through the gate. If you hurry on to the Great Buddha Hall, they are easy to miss.
There are lots of deer around Todaiji. Keep paper maps and leaflets in your bag so the deer do not eat them.