Yakushi-ji
薬師寺
The East Pagoda and a rebuilt West Pagoda face each other across the Golden Hall. The bronze Yakushi Triad is a masterpiece of the Hakuho period, and the temple is a World Heritage site.
Yakushi-ji was founded in Asuka at the vow of Emperor Temmu and moved to Heijo-kyo in 718. The National Treasure East Pagoda is an original structure from the Nara period. It looks six stories tall from the outside but has three true stories, with intermediate 'skirt' roofs (mokoshi) in between, and it is praised as 'frozen music'. In 2020 it completed a major restoration, the kind carried out only once a century. The vermilion Golden Hall, the West Pagoda and the Great Lecture Hall were rebuilt after the Showa period. Inside the Golden Hall, the bronze Yakushi Triad is a celebrated work in the history of Japanese sculpture. The Genjo Sanzo-in houses a relic of Xuanzang's skull and Ikuo Hirayama's 'Great Tang Western Regions' murals, which are open to the public for limited periods. Admission is about 800 to 1,600 yen depending on the areas open, and the temple is open from 8:30 to 17:00. It is a short walk from Nishinokyo Station on the Kintetsu line.
Opening hours
08:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Toshodai-ji
- Heijo Palace Site
- Saidai-ji Temple
- Naramachi
- Higashimuki & Sanjo-dori Shopping Streets
- Gango-ji
- Sarusawa Pond
- Kofuku-ji