Sunday, August 19, 2012

Great Buddha Hall, Todaiji Temple

There is the greatest image of Buddha in Nara.

Todaiji Temple was built in the Nara period (710-794) at the behest of Emperor Shomu.  At that time, Japan had been suffered from a plague and disasters, and Emperor Shomu wanted to take the peaceful world back.  The Great Buddha Hall was was burned in two fires of war, and reconstructed in 1709, in the size of two-thirds of the original hall.  The hall is still ranks as the largest wooden structure in the world.  





The hall's height is 48.74m (159.89ft.)  The roofs are like this when you look them up.






Great Buddha is one of the largest bronze figures in the world as well.  The statue stands just over 15m (50ft.) and consists of 437 tonnes of bronze and 130kg of gold. 









In the back side of the statue, you will see a wooden column with a hole.  This hole's size is exactly the same as one of the Great Buddha's nostrils.  A small kid can go through the hole like this picture, and it is said that the kid will have good health and good luck.









In the back side of the hall, there are the Four Devas, too.



And in front of the hall, one of the Shakyamuni's disciple is sitting there.  Even though he looks very scary, but he is also one kind of Buddha. You can touch him, and it is said that he has the power to heel your sickness. 






Admission JPY500
Opening time changes by season, but 8 am to 4:30pm opens all the year.

Experience Japan!