Horyu-ji Temple

Horyu-ji Temple is a Buddhist complex that preserves the appearance of an ancient temple built by Prince Shotoku in 607 during the reign of Emperor Suiko. It was called Ikaruga-ji Temple when it was built and later renamed Horyu-ji Temple.

The precincts of the temple cover an area of approximately 187,000 square meters, and are divided into the Sai-in Temple complex, centering on Kondo and the five-story pagoda, and the To-in Temple complex, centering on Muden.

The Sai-in Temple is the world’s oldest surviving group of wooden buildings, and the To-in Temple is also considered a valuable example of ancient architecture.

In addition, Horyu-ji Temple is home to numerous national treasures and important cultural properties, including Buddhist statues and artifacts from the Asuka and Nara periods.

Horyu-ji was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (cultural heritage) as “Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area,” making it the first World Heritage Site in Japan.

Kondo (rebuilt after a fire in 670), designated as a National Treasure, is a two-storied Buddhist building with a double gabled roof, a five-ken girigaya style, and a four-ken beam space. The interior of the main hall is divided into the middle, east, and west rooms, and the main images of Shakyamuni, Yakushi, and Amida are enshrined in each room.

The three statues of Shakyamuni (National Treasure), created in 623 by the monk Toributsushi, show a different style from later Japanese Buddhist statues, and are masterpieces from the early history of Japanese Buddhist sculpture.

The seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai (National Treasure) is considered the principal object of worship in the Kondo’s East Hall. The standing statues of Shitenno (Four Heavenly Kings), made in the Asuka Period, and the standing statues of Bishamonten (goddess of mercy) and Kichijoten (god of good fortune), made in the Heian Period, standing on either side of the three main statues of Shakyamuni in the middle hall, are also designated as National Treasures.

The five-story wooden pagoda, a national treasure, is the oldest existing five-story wooden pagoda in the world. It is 32.55 meters high, with a high rate of roof diminution from the first to the fifth floor, and one side of the five-story roof is about half the size of the first roof.

The usual distance between the pillars from the first to the fourth floor is 3 ken, but only the fifth floor has 2 ken. In the inner sanctuary of the first floor, a group of plastic statues called “Touhon shimengugu” are enshrined in the east, west, south, and north sections, and a total of 80 of these statues have been designated as national treasures.

The Kondo, five-story pagoda, central gate, and corridors are early Buddhist architectural styles that have not survived in China or Korea.

Many other structures built between the 8th and 13th centuries have been designated as national treasures, and their historical value is immeasurable.