Toshodai-ji
唐招提寺
The head temple of the Ritsu school, founded by the Tang monk Ganjin after his voyage to Japan. Its Kondo is the only surviving Nara-period main hall, and the temple is a World Heritage site.
In 759, the monk Ganjin founded Toshodai-ji on the former residence of Prince Nitabe. The front of the Kondo, with eight round pillars and broad eaves, is a model of Nara-period architecture, and the hall houses national treasures such as the seated Vairocana Buddha and the standing Thousand-Armed Kannon. The lecture hall was moved from the Chōshūden (assembly hall) of Heijo Palace and is the only surviving building from the palace. The dry-lacquer seated statue of Ganjin is displayed publicly for only a few days each year, around early June, the anniversary of the founder's death. Admission is about 1,000 yen, and it is open from 8:30 to 17:00. It is about an 8-minute walk from Nishinokyo Station on the Kintetsu line, and it can be combined with a visit to Yakushi-ji.
Opening hours
08:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Yakushi-ji
- Saidai-ji Temple
- Heijo Palace Site
- Higashimuki & Sanjo-dori Shopping Streets
- Naramachi
- Sarusawa Pond
- Gango-ji
- Kofuku-ji