Day One in Nara: The Most Impressive Todai-ji Temple and More (1)π
When I visited Kyoto a few years ago, I skipped Nara, thinking that its main attraction was just the deer, which didn't seem appealing enough to me. π’π This time, since I was heading to the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, I did a bit of research on Japanese history and discovered that Nara was the capital of Japan before Kyoto. The famous Asuka period is named after the Asuka area in Nara, and the origin of the Yamato people comes from the "Yamato" period when Nara was the capital. It became a must-visit place for me. I started with Gango-ji Temple, one of the first Buddhist temples in Japan after the introduction of Buddhism. π’π Originally built in the Asuka area, it was relocated to Nara after the capital was moved and renamed from Horyu-ji to Gango-ji. However, due to the growing influence of Kukai's Shingon sect, Gango-ji, which practiced the Pure Land sect, gradually declined. It's a very down-to-earth temple, but it has quite a few interesting things to see. π’π In the Gokuraku-bo, the roof tiles are from the Nara period, and next to it, in the Zen hall, there are some Japanese national treasures, including a five-storied pagoda and a statue of Prince Shotoku. After all, being one of Japan's earliest Buddhist temples, it has a rich history. #Nara π
