If you thought that Nara Park is just “about the deer”, then you’d be wrong. Nara Park is so vast that it practically contains almost all the key places to visit when in Nara for a day. I thought for sure that the extent of the park was the area where most of the deer are roaming and roosting, but I was wrong, because it turns out that it also serves as the location of the Nara National Museum, Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, and Kofukuji. In my mind, it’s practically a small town. In reality, it’s just a park.
Picking up from where I left off last post, we followed the wooden signs and took the path that will take us to the Todaiji Temple or, to avoid redundancy, the Todaiji (since -ji means “temple” but you know how these things go).
Todai-ji, (“Great Eastern Temple”) Japan’s largest temple
Todaiji, or Todai Temple, was built under the behest of then Emperor Shomu, and it was completed and inaugurated on 752 A.D. It was built with the intention of becoming the head temple and as a center of Buddhist doctrinal research.
Construction of this temple was a national thing, meaning the entire country was involved in one way or another. In fact, its construction was deemed too ambitious that it even brought the Japanese economy on the verge of bankruptcy as they had to reach into the country’s bronze reserves as well as incur debts due to gold importation just to finish it.
As is usual when it comes to places like these, it comes as no suprise to hear that it had also suffered disasters that caused it damage. In fact, it had been burned twice during war time. Still, it remains to be the home of many important heritage and cultural properties.
And, of course, places worthy of visit by casual sightseers and avid history/cultural/religious buffs alike.
Today, Todaiji is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and remains to be one of the most impressive and important temples in Japan. Being the home of one the largest Great Buddha in Japan certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Getting there via Nandaimon
From the deer park, we proceeded towards the Daibutsuden or the Great Buddha Hall.
Access to the Todaiji and its Daibutsuden is via the Great Southern Gate, or the Nandaimon, which is definitely hard to miss, considering that (1) most people are walking towards the area, (2) there are very informative signs for directions, and (3) deer, deer, and MORE DEER.
In fact, the deer seem to act like a welcoming party to anyone approaching the gate. Not that anyone minded, because the picture of these graceful creatures coming to meet you is just so charming you can’t help but smile.
As things were, there was quite a bit of a crowd leading up to the Nandaimon, mainly because of the large number of deer by the gate. So if you want to get a decent photo alone with the gate, keep dreaming, haha!
For my part, I just wanted a photo taken with them deer. With a bit of the gate behind me.
When visiting this place, you better get used to walking alongside and around deer, because they’re just… THERE. Even when you’re at the gate itself. They are sure to flock toward anyone with the shika senbei or deer crackers, so imagine the many times we had to hold out empty hands up to let them know that we have nothing on us.
I had the bright idea to put some of the crackers in my pocket earlier, and some of the crumbs left a hint of the aroma of the crackers, so that’s part of the reason why some of them kept hounding me. Not that I’m complaining. Much.
But let us talk about Nandaimon for a bit.
This large wooden gate serves as the main gate leading to the Great Buddha in Todai-ji. On both sides are large Nio figures (28 feet tall!) that were carved around the 12th century by Japanese sculptors Unkei and Kaikei. They are huge, and they look so fierce, in keeping with their “job” to guard the approach to where the Great Buddha is.
Incidentally, these two carved statues are considered to be two of the finest in the country, and have been declared as national treasures.
I just had to add the photo of me in front of one of the two Nio guardians for scale purposes, haha! And, for the record, I’m tiny.
From the Nandaimon, you’d walk toward another gate, where you have to secure admission tickets to enter the area where the Daibutsuden is. Adults have to pay 600 yen each, while children (6-11 years old) pay half the price. 5 years and below get to go in for free.
The ticket will grant you access to the Daibutsuden and the Todaiji Museum, by the way. So I think the price is more than reasonable. We passed on visiting any museums this time around, though, so we headed straight in toward the Daibutsuden.
The Daibutsuden (“Great Buddha Hall”)
Even as we were approaching it from afar, there was no denying that the Daibutsuden is one impressive piece of architecture. From the outside, it was like we were transported to another, completely removed, far-off place.
The well-manicured lawns flanking the frontage of the Daibutsuden are clearly well-maintained and obviously restricted from intrusive foot traffic by visitors to the Hall.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Daibutsuden, or the Great Buddha Hall.
Considered to be one of the largest wooden buildings IN THE WORLD, it stands at 57 meters long and 50 meters wide. At one point, it was THE largest wooden structure in the world, but that is now claimed by the Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain since 1998.
But here’s a fun fact: the original wooden structure had undergone several reconstructions, and the reconstruction done way back in 1692 was only 2/3 of the original size of the temple hall. That means that the one we are seeing right now is merely 30% of the original structure.
Other than the fact that it’s one of the largest wooden structures in the world, the other claim to fame of Daibutsuden is the fact that it houses the largest bronze statue of Buddha IN THE WORLD.
You probably cannot tell from the photos I have below, but this Great Buddha is massive. According to the Todaiji brochure, the Great Buddha statue is 49 feet and 2 inches tall, or (15 meters). Across the shoulders, it measures 28 meters while the face alone is 17.5 feet (5.33 meters).
One one corner of the Hall, there is a wooden post with a hole at the base, where a 6-year-old kid was playing around. She successfully crawled from one end of the hole to come out on the other. Apparently, the hole is as big as the nostril hole of the Great Buddha. It’s THAT huge.
To see what I’m talking about, click on the photo below for a larger image.
Just for reference, the diameter of the eyes is a little more than 1 meter or almost 3.5 feet.
Reportedly, the statue had been subjected to x-ray in the past and they saw some suspected relics of Emperor Shomu inside the knee of the Great Buddha, and they include pearls and jewels, swords, and even a human tooth.
In case you’re wondering how heavy it is, it weighs 500 tonnes or 500,000 kilograms.
The Great Buddha is flanked on both sides by smaller (but still massive) Bodhisattvas. These are referred to as individuals who are well on their way on the path to enlightenment, kinda like lesser Buddhas.
On his right is the Kokuuzo-bosatsu, symbolizing the “vast and boundless wisdom” of Buddha permeating the universe. Kokuuzo was one of the first Buddhist deities to arrive in Japan, and people pray to him seeking for improvement of their artistic and technical skills. In fact, there are rites in his name that are meant to improve one’s memory.
On his left is the Nyoirin-kannon, which is popular in Japan because of his ability to make people rich and prosperous. Thus, it is wildly popular among those who want to pray to gain wealth or riches.
Take a walk around the Hall, behind the Great Buddha, and there are lots of things to see. More statues and carvings, like this Koumoku-ten.
Dubbed as the Lord of the West, it is the guardian diety protecting the western part of Buddha’s realm. If you notice, he is portrayed as someone with large, wide eyes, and these represent his “expansive vision”, meaning he has the ability to see through evil.
This statue has this fierce-looking guardian diety standing atop a felled demon.
You will also find a display of scale models or reconstructions of Todai-ji over time. This one below, for example, is a reconstruction of the original temple on the scale of 1 to 50. It clearly shows how, in the past, there were two pagodas to the east and west, serving as the tallest structures in the entire temple complex.
It’s so interesting to see how intricate and detailed these scale models are. Some of the rooms even have lights on them!
The counterpart of Komokuten, on the other side of the Hall, is Tamon-ten.
Tamon-ten is the “King of the North”, meaning he is the guardian diety of the northern realm. He is the Lord Who Hears All, which is why he is known to be the all-knowing among the four Buddhist gods. He is also the one who is the most well-versed in the teachings of Buddha. This is why he is said to be the most powerful of the four.
In Japan, he is also the most popular, because he is considered the richest among the four. In fact, it’s like he’s the leader, and the other three, including Komoku-ten, are just his vassals. Also, he is referred to as the God of War and the Black Warrior, revered as the patron of warriors and protector of the righteous. Man, he’s like the alpha of the alpha, huh.
Kagami-ike (The Mirror Pond)
After walking inside the Great Hall, we walked out and made for the exist of the Daibutsuden complex. The exit immediately brought us before the Kagami-ike Pond.
I wasn’t able to take a photo of the island in the middle of the pond (although you can see a bit, I think), but on that island is the Itsukushima, a shrine dedicated to three female kami. These three female kami serve as protectors of fishermen.
And it does get exhausting to be walking around, so we took some time to stop for a bit, sit down… and get an opportunity to hang with resting deer.
This one looked like he couldn’t be bothered, carrying on with his nap even as I sat down beside him for a photo.
Nigatsudo
From the Daibutsuden, we followed a picturesque path that will lead you to Nigatsudo and Hokkedo, two other Halls in the temple complex. We didn’t go on up to Hokkedo Hall, which is one of the oldest surviving structures in the complex.
We simply walked straight up to Nigatsudo, which happens to be another designated national treasure of Japan. It is located to the east of the Daibutsuden, and on the hillside of Wakakusayama (which we’ll get to in the next post).
The charm of Nigatsudo is in its elevation, because once you go up the stairs and walk into the deck or balcony, you can get a view of the temple complex, and even part of the city.
Notably, the structure is also mostly made of wood.
Note that on the right is a flight of stone-concrete steps. On the left is a long flight of wooden stairs that also lead up to Nigatsudo.
The doors are blocked, but visitors can peer inside. The current Main Hall houses two Kannons, apparently, but they are not open for public viewing.
From Nigatsudo, we made a leisurely stroll following a trail with signs, which will lead us up to Wakakusayama. And that, my friends, shall be for another post, on another day. See ya then!
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