Todaiji Temple II

Todaiji Temple is a Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan is largest wooden building in the world. It houses Japan's largest Buddha statue.
Tōdai-ji, the Eastern Great Temple, it houses a giant statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as the Daibutsu ("great Buddha"). The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism.


During the Tempyo period, people suffered from disasters and epidemics. In 743, Emperor Shomu issued a law that the people should make a Buddha to protect themselves. He believed in Buddha’s power could help the people. 420,000 people contributed and 2,180,000 people worked to build it. The Great Buddha itself was designed by an artist from the Korean Baekje Kingdom. According to legend, nearly 2,600,000 in total helped construct the Buddha at that time; this number equates to nearly the half of the people in Japan at that time and is probably exaggerated. The Buddha was completed in 751, having consumed most of Japan's bronze production for several years and leaving the country almost bankrupt. The statue has been recast several times since for various reasons including earthquake damage, and the temple rebuilt twice after fire. The current building finished in 1709 although immense is actually 30% smaller than its predecessor. The original complex also contained two 100 m pagodas, probably the tallest buildings in the world at the time. These were destroyed by earthquake.