Things to do in Nara (Japan): Todaiji Temple

Last visit : December 2023

Visit duration : 30 minutes

My rating : 8/10

Web : https://www.todaiji.or.jp/en

When visiting Nara (Japan), besides sacred deer, mochi, and raw tuna, there's one stop that's almost essential: Todaiji Temple, one of the most extraordinary monuments of the country's cultural and spiritual heritage. This site is not only an architectural masterpiece, but also a symbol of imperial power and the spread of Buddhism in Japan.

Then, let's face it, you go to Nara to take a selfie with the deer, and Tōdaiji is exactly there.

1. Origins and historical context of Todaiji temple in Nara (Japan)

Tōdaiji has origins dating back to the Nara period (710-794), when the city of Nara was the capital of Japan. Starting in 710, Nara became Japan's first permanent capital (until then, the location of the capital had changed with the death of each emperor). The ruling dynasty wanted to introduce Buddhism from China as the state religion. The Tōdaiji temple was built precisely to centralize religious functions in this place. The temple's earliest stages can be found in 728, with the construction of the Kinshō-ji temple, intended to house prayers for the spirit of Prince Motoi, son of Emperor Shōmu. In 741, Emperor Shōmu issued an edict creating a national system of provincial temples and elevated Kinshō-ji to the rank of head of that system in Yamato province.

In 743 the Emperor ordered the creation of a large Buddha image, the Daibutsu of Vairocana, and the construction of the temple itself was completed in 752 with the ceremony of opening the eye (kaigen) of the Buddha.

For many decades, Tōdaiji was not just a place of worship: it became a political-religious center and was the largest and most powerful monastery in Japan during the Nara period.

Later, due to political changes and the decline of the Nara court, the temple's influence fluctuated, but it remained one of the most important centers of Japanese Buddhism.

The founding of Tōdaiji should be seen as an integral part of Emperor Shōmu's state policy: he intended to use Buddhism as a tool to strengthen national unity, the protection of the country, and imperial prestige. The enormous mobilization of resources (metals, wood, manpower) marks the project as one of the most ambitious works of the ancient Japanese state. Its function, therefore, was not simply religious, but political-spiritual: a temple that embodied the Chinese model of the great monasteries protecting the state.

2. Architectural aspects

The architecture of Tōdaiji represents one of the most significant examples of temple engineering in Japan, with an evolution that reflects destruction, reconstruction, and external influences.

The original complex was vast, covering approximately 2 square miles (≈ 5 km²). The style was initially inspired by Tang China: monumentality, imposing colonnades, symmetry, and large roofs. Architectural evolution (particularly after 1180, the date of one of the temple's first reconstructions) saw the adoption of more robust techniques (bases, interlocking beams) and a more Japanese-inspired style, albeit with Chinese roots.

The Tōdaiji that appears to visitors today is not (I would say quite obviously) the one originally built in the eighth century, but the result of numerous renovations, even recent ones; most of the buildings still standing date back to the eighteenth century, when the complex reached its final form after numerous destructions over the centuries. Tōdaiji remains one of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Having to divide it into ideal sections it can be distinguished into:

South Portal – Nandaimon

The first building you see when entering the temple is the south gate, or Nandaimon; it was rebuilt at the end of the 12th century in a style influenced by Song Chinese architecture.

The wooden gate is extremely imposing, evocative, and sacred. Inside are two Niō (guardian) statues, created in 1203 by Unkei and Kaikei, two great sculptors of the time. Unfortunately, the two statues were not visible during my visit (presumably due to restoration work), which is a shame because they are important masterpieces of Japanese art. Standing over 8 meters tall and constructed from several hollow blocks of hinoki cypress (to reduce their weight), they were then assembled on site and are among the most virtuoso works of ancient Japanese art.

Main building – Daibutsuden

The Daibutsuden houses the Great Buddha (Daibutsu). The current building dates back to 1709, after several renovations. Its current dimensions are approximately 57 m long, 50 m wide, and 48–49 m high. However, at the time of its original construction, the hall was much larger: the reconstruction reduced the number of "bays" (spaces between columns) from 11 to 7 in width. The current structure incorporates modern reinforcements (steel, concrete) during major renovations in the 20th century.

The Daibutsu is a stunning work of art. It was completed in 752 and inaugurated with the "Eye Opening Ceremony." The Eye Opening Ceremony is a solemn and symbolic ritual in Japanese Buddhism (and other East Asian Buddhist traditions) that marks the "vitalization" of a new sacred image. The ritual serves not only to "inaugurate" a work of art, but to transform it into a living object of worship . Through prayers, chants, and ritual gestures, it is believed that the statue's "spiritual eyes" are "opened," allowing it to exert its beneficial and salvific power. The Daibutsu's Eye Opening Ceremony is one of the most documented and grandiose in Japanese history: approximately 10,000 monks participated, along with diplomats, artists, and foreign clerics , including dignitaries from China, India, and Korea. The original work was cast in bronze using approximately 500 tons of copper and 130 kg of gold . The process was complex: the statue was created in several sections cast separately, then joined together and finished with gold leaf gilding ( kinpaku ). The Daibutsu measures approximately 15 meters in height (without the pedestal), with a 5-meter face and open hands measuring over 2.5 meters each. It is seated in the lotus position, with the right hand raised in a gesture of protection and the left lowered in a gesture of generosity . The face, serene and detached, reflects the aesthetic ideal of transcendent calm typical of the Kegon school. The features are imposing yet balanced: the monumental anatomy is mitigated by a soft plasticity in the lineaments and a harmonious proportion that gives the statue a sense of solemnity without heaviness. As with Tōdaiji, the Daibutsu statue as we see it today is the result of numerous restorations over the centuries, but the core remains the original; the hands and head are the result of renovations during the Edo period.

On the sides of the temple are two other colossal wooden statues, depicting Tamonten and Komokuten, two of the four "Heavenly Kings." I struggled to find any information about these rather astonishing works; all I could find was that they measure about 5 meters tall and date to the Edo period. In any case, they are among the most striking sculptures I've seen in Japan.

The role of Tōdaiji is not exclusively aesthetic or historical, but deeply rooted in Japanese religious culture. The massive presence of the Buddha, its educational function, and its integration with imperial power make it a place where spirituality, art, and state intersect. The proportions of the statues and the temple itself astound Western tourists, who are generally unaccustomed to seeing wooden architecture of such scale, but the visitors are primarily Japanese, evidently drawn to the religious vocation.