Rodney Campbell's Blog

Tōdai-ji Temple, is situated a short walk from the center of Nara, in Nara Park. It is Nara’s most popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The name Tōdai-ji means Great Eastern Temple, and it was built as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples in Japan.

Tōdai-ji, along with Kofukuji and Horyuji, make up the “Big Three” must-see temples of Nara.

Tōdai-ji

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 35 mm, 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Tōdai-ji Temple is a complex of buildings that includes the world’s largest wooden structure, the 48m (157 foot)-high Daibutsu-den. The temple houses the 16m high gilt bronze Daibutsu (Great Buddha), cast in 749: also the largest of its kind in the world. The statue contains 437 tonnes of bronze and 130kg of gold.

The temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan and grew so powerful that the capital was moved from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 in order to lower the temple’s influence on government affairs.

Todaiji’s main hall, the Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall) is the world’s largest wooden building, despite the fact that the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple hall’s size.

@ Tōdai-ji

NIKON D750 + 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28 mm, 1/30 sec at f/8, ISO 140

The Octagonal Lantern in front of the Great Buddha Hall dates from the time of the founding of Tōdai-ji. The distinctive large fire chamber is covered with a sloping roof surmounted by a jewel-like form. It rests upon a stone base supported by a stone post emanating from a lotiform pedestal.

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