guided tours of Nara, Japan 奈良を英語で紹介しよう！

Todaiji – 03 the Great Buddha Hall

This building was constructed for the Great Buddha Image.

The Great Buddha was erected in the middle of the 8 th century and after it was erected, this huge wooden hall was constructed.

It is the largest wooden structure in the world!

However the hall you see is not original building.   This hall was destroyed by fire twice, once in the 12 th century and also in the 16 th century.

In the first fire, more than half of the buildings were survived and the next year, restoration started.

Almost 10 years later, this hall was completed.

In the second fire in the 16 th century, it was worse.

Almost building were burnt down.  Several buildings on the mountain side, called “Nigatsu-do,”" Sangatsu-do,” only one repository and two gates were survived.

They couldn’t rebuilt the hall immediately, I think it is because they didn’t have money.

Almost a century later, the monk called “Kokei” appeared.

He dedicated himself to repair the Great Buddha and rebuild the Hall.

The Buddha had stayed outside almost 100 year, it had greatly damaged.

This project took many years to complete and it’s finally finished in the 18th century.

Because of economic situation, they reconstructed the smaller hall than before.

It is 30 percent smaller than the original building.

But still it is the largest wooden building in the world!

Please imagine that how huge the original one was!

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