Page 202 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

200  JAP AN REGION B Y REGION

2 Horyu-ji Temple VISITORS’ CHECKLIST

Horyuji Temple Practical Information
10 km (6 miles) SW of Nara.
Regarded as the cradle of Japanese Buddhism, the Horyu-ji Open daily: 22 Feb–3 Nov
complex is also thought to contain some of the world’s 8am– 5pm; 4 Nov–21 Feb 8am–
oldest surviving wooden structures, dating from the early 4:30pm. &
7th century. The temple was erected by Prince Shotoku Transport
(573–621) in his effort to entrench Bud dhism alongside £ JR Yamatoji line from Nara, then
Shinto as a pillar of the Japanese belief system. Some 20-min walk. @ from Kintetsu
Nara stn to Horyu-ji-mae stop.
exceptional works of art, including ancient images of
the Buddha, are housed here.
The nine rings (kurin) of the
Four scythes, a finial are made of bronze.
feature unique to
Horyu-ji’s pagoda,
are said to stop it
from being destroyed
by lightning.
Gate at the Horyu-ji compound Wind chime
Five-Story Pagoda Yakushi Nyorai images
dating from the 10th
The pagoda is one of Horyu-ji’s oldest century are among the
buildings and the oldest one of its treasures of Horyu-ji.
kind in Japan. The pagoda style
was brought from China, which in
turn had been developed from the
Buddhist stupa in ancient India. The Level 5: Sky
symbolism of such buil dings is subject
to debate. Some say that a five-story
pagoda represents the elements,
as shown; others disagree.

Ornamental roof crays Level 4: Fire
are made of bronze.
The central column is
fash ioned from a single
cypress tree. The entasis Level 3:
columns at Horyu-ji are Wood
reminiscent of classical
Greek style, a legacy of
the Silk Route.
Level 2:
Water

Four sculpted scenes from
the life of the Buddha face
north, south, east, and west.
Here, on the north side, the
Buddha passes into Nirvana.
Level 1:
A fragment of the Buddha’s Earth
bone is enshrined at the base
of the central pillar.
For hotels and restaurants see pp304–5 and pp331–3

200-201_EW_Japan.indd 200 08/08/16 3:07 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm