Tōdai-ji
The Great Buddha Hall has been rebuilt twice after fire. The current building was finished in 1709, and immense—57 metres (187 ft) long, 50 metres (160 ft) wide and 49 metres (161 ft) high. It is the largest wooden building around the world. There are Nandaimon Gate, Nigatsudo, Hokkedo and Shōsō-in in the courtyard. Among them, the Nandaimon Gate has the famous catamaran Vajra statue, and the Nigatsudo allows visitors to overlook the Great Buddha Hall and the city of Nara.
In fact, the practice of establishing Kokubun Temples and Kokubunni Temples in various parts of Japan was imitating the practice of building national temples in various places in the Sui and Tang Dynasties of China, such as the construction of Dayun Temple, Longxing Temple, Kaiyuan Temple, etc. They are all built to pray for the country. Dongda Temple is 0.8 kilometers wide from east to west and 1 kilometers long from north to south. The middle courtyard is large. The main hall of the Great Buddha Hall was eleven wide and 88 meters wide when it was built. It is similar to the Qianyuan Hall of Luoyang Palace in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Through this temple, one can imagine the scale and momentum of the giant temples built by the state in Chang'an and Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty. There are many tales about the construction of Todaiji Temple. Some people say that Empress Guangming admires Wu Zetian very much, and the Dayun Temple created by Wu Zetian is considered to be the object of imitation. The news that Wu Zetian built a bronze statue of the Giant Buddha in Luoyang and carved a stone statue of the Giant Buddha in Fengxian Temple, Longmen, was spread to Japan by the monk who entered the Tang Dynasty for seeking Dharma. In the twelfth year of Tianping (740), after paying homage to the Great Buddha of the Temple of Knowledge in Hanoi National University (now Kashiwabara City, Osaka Prefecture), Emperor Shengmu made a vow "I will also make it." There is also a saying, which is also related to imitating the Tang Dynasty. It is said that Emperor Shengmu wanted to return to peace with the power of Buddhism in order to pray for the peace of the country and the people. Todaiji Temple was built in Nara and is still famous today. In addition to the majestic Todai-ji Temple, the deers in Nara Park are also beautiful scenery. Don't be surprised if you see flocks of deers playing outside Todaiji Temple. They are free and innocent. You only need a packet of biscuits, and they will follow you obediently and nod to you to show their courtesy.
