Daiichiji Daigokudenin Daigokumon (Nammon, South Gate) — Attraction in Nara

The latest landmark in the ancient capital complex of Heijo-kyo to be reconstructed, the South Gate is located on the main city axis almost exactly halfway between the imposing Imperial Audience Hall and the main Suzaku Gate. Rebuilt using authentic historical methods, the construction process is in itself a medium of research, and its existence brings further tangible cultural value to this immensely important place, oft overlooked on the tourist trail for the other monuments of Nara. UNESCO (for Heijo-kyo is listed as a World Heritage Site) is known for its slightly unreasonable disdain for reconstructions and anastylosis, but in this case, the neglected barren expanses of the imperial complex, dotted with lonely and ugly concrete blocks and bollards outlining building footprints, would sincerely benefit from widespread sympathetic restoration of structures such as the few already...

Visited on 6 Feb 2025, and its still under reconstruction. This compound, including the Audience Hall, is expected to stretch approximately 320m north to south, and 180m east to west. During the first half of the Nara Period, this was a special place for...

平城遷都1300年を記念して復元された大極殿は、広大な平城宮跡歴史公園内に荘厳な姿を見せています。その建物は、かつての都の象徴として、訪れる人々を圧倒するほどの大きさと美しさを誇ります。

広々とした公園内は、お子様連れのピクニックにも最適です。しかし、夏場は日差しが強く、気温も高くなるため、暑さ対策を万全にして訪れることをおすすめします。公園内を唯一走る近鉄電車の線路と踏切も、どこか懐かしい風景を醸し出しています。

ここは、奈良の原風景が今もなお大切に保存されている場所です。1300年以上前に都として栄えた場所が、時を経て公園となり、私たちが歴史に触れ、憩う場所となっていることに、深い感慨を覚えます。

これから先の未来においても、この場所が歴史的価値と美しい景観を保ち続け、多くの人々に愛される場所となる...