Todaiji Temple

Todaiji Temple, located in Nara Prefecture, is the largest Buddhist temple in Japan. It is currently owned by the Kagon Buddhist School.

The name of the temple is translated from Japanese as “Great Temple of the East”.

The temple was built on a vow by Emperor Semu (ruled 724-749) in the then capital Nara. It was consecrated in 752. Todaiji acted as a symbol of statehood in which state ceremonies of a non-Buddhist nature were held (for example, the ceremony of awarding official ranks).

The golden pavilion of the temple, together with the huge bronze statue of Vairochana Buddha, has been preserved on a scale of 2:3 in relation to the original structure, with significant alterations due to fires.

It is the largest wooden structure in the world (height - 49 meters, length - 57 meters, depth - 50 meters). In the temple complex Todaiji preserved Sesoin, containing several thousand items of decorative and applied art of the Nara era.