Tōshōdai Temple

Tōshōdai Temple

Tōshōdai Temple is the head temple of the Japanese Ritsu sect, located in Gojō-chō, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. It was personally built by the Chinese Tang Dynasty eminent monk Jianzhen in the architectural style of the flourishing Tang era, which is why it is hailed as a temple symbolizing friendship between China and Japan. It is a national treasure-level temple in Japan and, in 1998, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as an important component of the “Cultural Properties of Ancient Nara.”

Jianzhen traveled to Japan in 754 and initially practiced at Tōdai-ji; in 759, a residence formerly belonging to Prince Nittabe, the son of Emperor Tenmu, was granted to Jianzhen, where Tōshōdai Temple was subsequently constructed. The term “Shōtō” refers to a place for practicing Buddhism near the Buddha, signifying that this temple was established as a practice site for Monk Jianzhen. Since Japanese Buddhism centers around the precepts of the Nan-shan School’s Four-Part Vinaya, and this temple is Japan’s first Ritsu temple, it is also known as the Kenchō Ritsu Temple. The temple’s Golden Hall (main hall), Lecture Hall, Drum Tower, Treasure House, and the dry-lacquer statue of Jianzhen have all been designated as Japanese National Treasures, while the Assembly Hall and Founder’s Hall are recognized as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

Like most temples in Japan, Tōshōdai Temple has withstood the test of time. It once boasted magnificent scenery and the splendor of the Nishi Yamashiro Forty-Eight Temples, but also endured the decline of temple shrines during the Edo period and the storms of the Haibutsu Kishaku (anti-Buddhist) movement. Although today’s Tōshōdai Temple may not match its original grandeur, it still preserves seventeen national treasures and over two hundred important cultural properties, serving as a powerful testament to the cultural prosperity of the Tenpyō era.

Tōshōdai-ji

Must-visit reason: Japan’s first Ritsu temple

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia【Asia】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Japan[Japan]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Nara Prefecture [Nara Prefecture]

City where the attraction is located: Nara City [Nara]