Nara - Tōdai-ji: Nandaimon - Agyo - a photo on Flickriver

            Tōdai-ji (東大寺), or the Great Eastern Temple, is the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism and one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples.  Constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan under the order of Emperor Shōmu, it quickly grew so powerful that the capital was moved out of Nara to lower its influence on government affairs.  Its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿, Daibutsuden), the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Great Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu (大仏).  According to records kept by Tōdai-ji, more than 2.6 million people in total helped construct the Great Buddha and its hall.
  
Under the Ritsuryō system of government in the Nara Period, Buddhism was heavily regulated by the state through the Sōgō (僧綱, Office of Priestly Affairs), and Tōdai-ji served as the central administrative temple for the provincial temples for the six Buddhist schools in Japan at the time: the Hossō, Kegon, Jōjitsu, Sanron, Ritsu and Kusha.  But as the center of power in Japanese Buddhism shifted away from Nara to Mount Hiei and the Tendai sect, and later when the capital of Japan moved to Kamakura, Tōdai-ji's authoritative role declined as well. 

The Nandaimon (南大門), or Great South Gate, the 19-meter high entrance gate to Tōdai-ji, is a reconstruction dating to 1199, replacing the original gate which was destroyed in 1180.  It is guarded by two 28-foot tall statues, built around the same time by at around the same time by Unkei, Kaikei and their workshop members, of Niō warrior gods, or Deva Kings, each with one hand up (to welcome those with pure hearts) and one hand down (to suppress impure hearts).  The open-mouthed statue on the left, pronouncing the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, ah, is called "Agyo", meaning beginning or birth.  The closed-mouth statue on the right, pronouncing the last letter, un, is called "Ungyo", meaning the ending or death.  The two figures restored between 1988 and 1993. Until then, they had never before been moved from the niches in which they were originally installed.

Tōdai-ji, along with several Buddhist temples including Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha, the remains of Heijō Palace, and other sites in Nara, comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, inscribed in 1999.

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Taken in: 日本 / 奈良県 / 奈良市 (show map)

Taken on: May 20, 2011

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Agyo

Niō

statue

sculpture

guardian

nio

deva gate

Nandaimon

南大門

Great South Gate

gate

Tōdai-ji

Todai-ji

Great Eastern Temple

東大寺

temple

Buddhist temple

Buddhist

Nara

奈良

Nara City

奈良市

Nara-shi

Nara Prefecture

奈良県

Nara-ken

Kansai region

関西地方

Kansai-chihō

Kansai

Kansai-chiho

Kinki region

近畿地方

Kinki-chihō

Kinki-chiho

Honshu

本州

Honshū

Japan

Nihon

Nippon

日本国

日本

UNESCO World Heritage Site

world heritage site

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara « less

Sets appears in: • Japan - Nara

Camera: Canon PowerShot S95, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, 9.6mm, ISO 320 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot S95
Aperture:	f/2.8
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	9.6mm
ISO:	320
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Picasa
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