[2025 Nara Attraction] Travel Guide for Shosoin Treasure House (Updated Apr)

Nara's Todaiji Temple, also known as the Great Kegon Temple, was first built in 745 AD. It was Empress Komyo, who was known as the "Wu Zetian" of Nara, who urged Emperor Tenmu to build it. Its temples and Buddha statues are modeled after the Purple Palace Paradise in Luoyang and the Giant Buddha in Longmen Grottoes built by Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. The Great Buddha was cast in 752 AD, and the Great Buddha Hall was completed in 758 AD. The then Emperor Tenmu, Empress Dowager Komyo and his daughter Empress Koken personally participated in the ceremony. In 753, Jianzhen gave precepts to Emperor Tenmu here. Todaiji Temple became a famous royal temple and was the head temple of Japanese Buddhism during its heyday. After the end of the Heian period, the Buddhist temple and the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple were destroyed and rebuilt many times due to war. The front of the Great Buddha Hall is about 57 meters wide, 50 meters deep and 48 meters high. It is the largest wooden building in the world. Standing in front of it, you can't help but be attracted by its grandeur and simplicity. The Great Buddha Hall was restored to its Kamakura period style during multiple restorations during the Meiji and Showa eras, so it is not a Tang-style building, but a Song-style building combined with local Japanese style. Before visiting Todaiji Temple, you can first visit the Todaiji Museum (photography is prohibited inside the museum). The museum houses important treasures such as gilded Buddha statues, jewelry, swords, etc. that were once enshrined in the base of the Great Buddha, as well as restoration explanations and Todaiji Temple's unique tile-style displays. There are also the central gate, the statue of Vajrapani, and the gold-bronze octagonal lantern in the Todaiji Temple, which are national treasures of Japan. There are Chinese interpreters available for rent before entering the Great Buddha Hall, which will help you better understand the exhibits in the hall (you can take photos inside the hall). Inside the Great Buddha Hall, there is a 15-meter-tall giant statue of Vairocana Buddha. The Buddha's belly and part of the lotus throne are original from the Nara period, while the other parts have been gradually restored over the ages. There are also seated statues of Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, Ruyilun Bodhisattva, Garuda, Virūpākṣa and Vairocana in the Great Buddha Hall for people to worship. Todaiji Temple covers a vast area, and there are places to visit such as Nigatsu-do, Sangatsu-do, bell tower, and Hokke-do in the temple. Climbing up to the Nigatsudo platform, you can overlook the Great Buddha Hall and the city of Nara. Shosoin is the treasure house in the temple, which houses national treasures such as the calligraphy of Emperor Tenmu from the Nara period, the eye-opening brush of the Great Buddha, and the five-stringed Tang Dynasty mother-of-pearl sandalwood pipa. The museum has a collection of more than 9,000 cultural relics and is only open to the public in autumn every year, with only more than 70 pieces of collections on display each time. Todaiji Temple Museum and Great Buddha Hall combined ticket: 1,200 yen Rental fee for the Great Buddha Hall audio guide: 500 yen Opening hours: 9:30-17:00

Nara Todai-ji Temple's Shosoin was built in the 8th year of the Tenpyo Shoho era (756 AD). It was built because Empress Komyo donated all the beloved items of the late Emperor Shomu to the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple (Vairocana Buddha) and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This marked the beginning of the history of the "Shosoin Treasures". After that, the treasures offered by the royal family, together with the Buddhist instruments, ritual items, and ancient documents mainly used for the eye-opening ceremony of the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple, formed the large-scale Shosoin Treasures we see today. The treasures include the daily necessities and collections of emperors and nobles, as well as the household registration of ordinary people. There are many types and quantities of treasures, many of which come from overseas, especially from the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, Shosoin can also be regarded as a microcosm of ancient culture centered on the culture of the Tang Dynasty in China. The Shosoin, which houses these treasures, is located in the northwest of the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple. It is a wooden structure with a simple and unadorned design. In 1946, the first Shosoin Exhibition was held at the Nara National Museum. Since 1947, the Shosoin Exhibition has become a regular exhibition held every autumn and continues to this day. The Nara National Museum also built a new building for this purpose, with a design inspired by the Shosoin. Photography is not allowed in the Shosoin Exhibition Hall, but there are high-quality exhibition catalogs available for purchase. As for visiting, you need to log in to the official website of the Nara National Museum in advance and purchase a ticket for a specific date.

If you have visited Shanxi and followed Liang Lin's footsteps to admire the ancient buildings, but you are still not satisfied... Cross the border ~ First stop, Nara, Japan In 710 AD, Heijokyo (now Nara) was built, [equivalent to one-fourth the size of Chang'an City], and its overall layout imitated that of Chang'an City. The Nara period was the peak period of Japan's imitation of the Tang Dynasty. A large number of envoys were sent to the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty culture was systematically inherited. In 745 AD, the fourth year of the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Shomu of Japan, in order to pray for peace, followed the edict of Wu Zetian in the early Tang Dynasty and built Dayun Temple (now Todaiji Temple), which became the general management center for temple affairs in Japan. Todaiji Temple With a history of more than 1,200 years, Todaiji Temple has been destroyed many times by fire and earthquake, and the existing buildings can be traced back to 1709. The Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. It is truly gigantic! The existing Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple is 57 meters long, about 50 meters wide and about 49 meters high. It should be noted that the Great Buddha Hall was dismantled and repaired during the Meiji era (with steel truss supports added), but it is still recognized by UNESCO as one of the largest wooden buildings in the world today! By the way, there is a very thick pillar in the Great Buddha Hall with a hole underneath. Many people are drilling into it, especially students (who seem to be local Japanese students). Legend has it that this symbolizes that "the exam must be passed successfully." South Gate The South Gate has a double-layered hip roof, about 50 meters wide and 25 meters high. It was built in 760, but was destroyed by fire and restored and rebuilt during the Kamakura period (1199). This is a pure Song Dynasty building, with an entirely wooden structure supported by 18 21-meter-high wooden pillars. It was built by craftsmen invited from Ningbo during the Southern Song Dynasty (more similar to the ancient architectural style in Zhejiang and Fujian). What impressed me most were the tall and mighty Vajrapani statues on both sides of the door. They were made of cypress (reminiscent of the strongmen in Longmen Grottoes), and were very well carved, with their muscle lines and expressions showing a strong momentum! Shosoin Shosoin stands quietly behind Todaiji Temple. Every autumn when the treasure house is exposed, some of the treasures will be exhibited at the Nara National Museum with a special theme for only two weeks. During the war, Mr. Liang Sicheng protected Kyoto and Nara as a scholar. The US military bombed all over Japan, but unfortunately did not affect these two cities. As he said: "It is not only the ancient capital of Japan, but also a cultural treasure of all mankind."