Todai-ji+Temple


 * Todai-ji Temple**

There are thousands and thousands of Buddhist temples in the world, all blissfully beautiful, but only one is home to the Great Buddha, the largest statue of Buddha in the world. The Todai-ji Temple is the one temple to have this honor.

This large, beautiful temple is located in Nara. It is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world and one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara. Inside Todai-ji Temple resides the largest Buddha statue named Daibutsu. The statue is 48.7 feet tall and weighs about 500 tons. Inside the temple, you can also find a statue of Komoku-ten, Guardian King of the South, and statues of many ornamental butterflies. There also is pillar with a hole as large as the Great Buddah's head. It is said that if you can fit your body through the hole you will be granted great prosperity, which the greatest Buddhist monks struggle to have. Disregarding the Great Buddha or the great structure of the temple, many people enjoy the great purpose and holiness that it contains. The temple also houses the headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism.

The Todai-ji Temple was built in 728 when Emperor Shomu took power in Nara, Japan. During the time, Nara was the capital of Japan. In 743, Emperor Shomu created a law that stated that people should become directly involved with the establishment of new Buddha temples throughout Japan, for it was their responsibility and obligation to do so, especially since the temples were being built for them, the common people. When constructing the temple, about 2,600,000 people volunteered to help construct the large Buddha and its hall. In 752, when the people of Japan completed building the largest Buddha in Japan and in the entire world, a big ceremony was held and about 10,000 people showed up from all around the country to observe and pray at this magnificent temple.

In 743, The Emperor commanded that a very large image Buddhist statue shall be built—the // Daibutsu // or Great Buddha—and initial work began at Shigaraki -no-miya.