Tōdai-ji

Tōdai-ji
東大寺
Great Buddha Hall (daibutsuden), a National Treasure
Religion
Affiliation	Kegon
Deity	Birushana-butsu (Vairocana Buddha)
Location
Location	1 Zōshi-chō, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan
Country	Japan
Interactive map of Tōdai-ji
Coordinates	34°41′21″N 135°50′23″E
Architecture
Founder	Emperor Shōmu
Established	Early 8th century
Completed	1709 (1709) (Reconstruction)
Website
www.todaiji.or.jp

Tōdai-ji (東大寺, 'Eastern Great Temple') is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergone several reconstructions, including one initiated by Minamoto Yoritomo in 1181 (entrusted to Chogen, a monk of the Jodo sect) which included the standardization of existing buildings and the strengthening of visible pillars. Since then, one of the most significant reconstruction (that of the Great Buddha Hall) took place in 1709. However, it was on the verge of collapse in the late 19th century due to the weight of its huge roof. The collapse was prevented through a first restoration (1904–1913), and its current appearance was completed using steel framing between 1974 and 1980. Its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿, Daibutsuden) houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese as Daibutsu (大仏). The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites (including temples, shrines and places) in the city of Nara.

History

A model of the garan of Tōdai-ji at the time of its foundation, seen from the north side, a part of 1/1000 scale model of Heijōkyō held by Nara City Hall.

Map of the Tōdai-ji complex with a number of buildings that do not exist anymore, such as the two pagodas, and the library, lecture hall, refectory, and monks' quarters behind the main hall

Origins

Record of temple lands in Echizen Province in 757 (ICP); as head of the national network of Provincial Temples, Tōdai-ji's privileges included a large network of tax-exempt estates

Todaiji is well known for the Nara Daibutsu, also known as "The Great Buddha of Nara," which is an image of the Buddha Birushana. The current Buddha was repaired after suffering significant damage in 1692. Under the leadership of Abbot Shunjobo Chogen (1121–1206), numerous structures at Todaiji were rebuilt in 1180 in the fashion of the Southern Song dynasty of China.

During the Tenpyō era, Japan suffered from a series of disasters and epidemics. It was after experiencing these problems that Emperor Shōmu issued an edict in 741 to promote the construction of provincial temples throughout the nation. Later in 743 during the Tenpyō era the Emperor commissioned the Daibutsu to be built in 743. Tōdai-ji (still Kinshōsen-ji at the time) was appointed as the provincial temple of Yamato Province and the head of all the provincial temples. With the alleged coup d'état by Nagaya in 729, a