Todai-ji Temple

About the facility

The statue of the Great Buddha was erected in 752 under a proclamation issued by Emperor Shomu, and with the support of as many as 2.6 million people for the happiness of all life. There are many national treasure buildings on the grounds of the temple, including the Daibutsu-den (Great Buddha Hall) dedicated to the famous statue Vairocana Buddha, commonly known as the great Buddha of Nara; the Tegai-mon Gate and the Hokke-do, which show the architecture of the eighth century; the Nandai-mon (Great South Gate), one of the representative reconstruction projects from the Kamakura Era; the Bell Tower; and the Nigatsu-do, which was reconstructed in the Edo Era. In December 1998, the Todai-ji Temple was designated a World Heritage site as a Historic Monument of Ancient Nara.