Temple sights in Nara
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Kōfuku-ji
This temple was transferred here from Kyoto in 710 as the main temple for the Fujiwara family. Although the original temple complex had 175 buildings, fires and destruction as a result of power struggles have left only a dozen standing. There are two pagodas – three storeys and five storeys – dating from 1143 and 1426, respectively. The taller of the two is the second-tallest in Japan, outclassed by the one at Kyoto's Tō-ji by a few centimetres. Note that a new hall is being built in the centre of the temple grounds and construction isn't expected to be completed until 2018.
reviewed
-
B
Tōdai-ji
Nara's famous Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is housed in the Daibutsu-den Hall of this grand temple. It's Nara's star attraction and can often be packed with tour groups and schoolchildren from across the country, but it's big enough to absorb huge crowds and it belongs at the top of any Nara itinerary.
Before you enter the temple be sure to check out the Nandai-mon (東大寺南大門), an enormous gate containing two fierce-looking Niō guardians. These recently restored wooden images, carved in the 13th century by the sculptor Unkei, are some of the finest wooden statues in all of Japan, if not the world. They are truly dramatic works of art and seem ready to spring to life a…
reviewed
