Toshodai-ji Temple
Toshodai-ji Temple
4.5
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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- Soudamini MohapatraBengaluru, India1,438 contributionsNice Buddhist TempleToshodaiji is a Buddhist temple, established in 759 AD. It's original structure is still intact and very well preserved. It was founded by a Chinese priest who was invited by the Emperor of Japan to establish BuddhismVisited April 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 25 April 2024
- Zenmaster777New Delhi, India91 contributionsClean and well preserved.Toshodaiji is a Buddhist temple was established in 700 AD. The temple, made of wood, stands well preserved till today. It's very clean. The gardens are vast, green and speechlessly clean. The deer are very tame. The only downer is the commercial aspect of the shops and the market around. Which is to be expected.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 11 May 2024
- MichaelLindaGHighbridge, United Kingdom449 contributionsVery ImpressiveVisited Nara City just to see this Buddest Temple, it is without doubt one of ghe most impressive structures I have seen considering its age. It is massive, as you approach it you are filled with wounder. We worth the effort, although a bit crowded and a lack of respect from some of the tourists given this is a holy temple dedicated to Buddha.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 7 June 2024
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Soudamini Mohapatra
Bengaluru, India1,438 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Toshodaiji is a Buddhist temple, established in 759 AD. It's original structure is still intact and very well preserved. It was founded by a Chinese priest who was invited by the Emperor of Japan to establish Buddhism
Written 25 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
Tōshōdai-ji is a beautiful, peaceful Buddhist temple with nice gardens, surrounded by stately trees. The temple’s origins date back to 759, when it was founded by a Chinese monk, Ganji Wajo. It still remains the headquarters of the Buddhist Ritsu-shu sect.
Written 17 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hfot2 🌸🍁🌸
Vermont7,579 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
We much preferred Toshodai-ji to Yakushi-ji.
We took a bus to Yakushi-ji from Horyu-ji and then after visiting Yakushi-ji we walked to Toshodai-ji, an easy (though longer than we thought from the map) walk through a residential neighborhood.
After paying our entry fee, we immediately noted the differences here from Yakushi-ji - here there are trees, plants and flowers - it was green with moss.
The Kondo is a National Treasure. Indeed, pretty nearly every building here is a National Treasure, and those that aren't are Important Cultural Properties (no photography inside)
In the rear of the main complex there was a path at the top of the rise which we happily walked along. It took us by some closed gates to mysterious buildings. Then there was a turn into a wooded path with nice moss covered with cherry blossom petals. The going got a bit rougher and untended until we came to a sort of pond or moat, curving in a great arc, really quite overgrown. Before us was a low wall, and a gigantic octagonal high mound of earth, a burial mound, the Kaizan Gobyo, or Founder's Shrine.
We thoroughly enjoyed this temple but explored it far too cursorily. We shall probably have to come back some day.
When you leave and go out through the Great Gate, hang a left. The tourist office woman in Horyu-ji gave us careful instructions to reach the nearest bus stop. It was another walk just a bit longer than expected, but we arrived in plenty of time for a bus back to the center of Nara. It's a standard bus and it was crowded. It took about twenty minutes to get to the bus stop at the JR station and our hotel. We got back to the hotel by about 16:40 - we left at 8:00, covering Horyu-ji, Yakushi-ji, and Toshodai-ji. One hell of an eight hour day!
We took a bus to Yakushi-ji from Horyu-ji and then after visiting Yakushi-ji we walked to Toshodai-ji, an easy (though longer than we thought from the map) walk through a residential neighborhood.
After paying our entry fee, we immediately noted the differences here from Yakushi-ji - here there are trees, plants and flowers - it was green with moss.
The Kondo is a National Treasure. Indeed, pretty nearly every building here is a National Treasure, and those that aren't are Important Cultural Properties (no photography inside)
In the rear of the main complex there was a path at the top of the rise which we happily walked along. It took us by some closed gates to mysterious buildings. Then there was a turn into a wooded path with nice moss covered with cherry blossom petals. The going got a bit rougher and untended until we came to a sort of pond or moat, curving in a great arc, really quite overgrown. Before us was a low wall, and a gigantic octagonal high mound of earth, a burial mound, the Kaizan Gobyo, or Founder's Shrine.
We thoroughly enjoyed this temple but explored it far too cursorily. We shall probably have to come back some day.
When you leave and go out through the Great Gate, hang a left. The tourist office woman in Horyu-ji gave us careful instructions to reach the nearest bus stop. It was another walk just a bit longer than expected, but we arrived in plenty of time for a bus back to the center of Nara. It's a standard bus and it was crowded. It took about twenty minutes to get to the bus stop at the JR station and our hotel. We got back to the hotel by about 16:40 - we left at 8:00, covering Horyu-ji, Yakushi-ji, and Toshodai-ji. One hell of an eight hour day!
Written 10 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vincent M
New Orleans, LA2,256 contributions
Oct 2014
Nara is an easy train ride from either Kyoto or Osaka, and well worth the trip. Me, I travelled 7,800 miles or so to get there, and Toshodai-ji exceeded my (rather high) expectations.
Many marvels there, but let me start with what was, in my opinion, the all-out star of the show. From 710 to 784 Nara was the imperial capital on Japan. When the capital was moved to Kyoto, the old imperial palaces, audience halls and associated building were left to rot and disintegrate. Literally the imperial park became a rice paddy. With one exception. After the move, the Buddhist center at Toshodai-ji was given permission to use the imperial palace's assembly hall as a hall for religious lectures and debates. The hall was carefully dismantled and reverently reassembled at Toshodai. It has been maintained there since the time of Charlemagne! When you walk through the Kodo, you're walking in a building that Pre-Heian emperors and empresses themselves walked. And it's beautiful! You can't take photos inside, but I took one from outside the door, showing a row of the cypress pillars and supports, which I'll post here. The hall now houses several notable statues including a seated Miroku Bosatsu (future Buddha),
Toshodaiji is the headquarters of the Ritsu sect of Buddhism, so it's not surprising that there are a number of national treasures, as well as works designated as important cultural properties, there. I believe all three of the major statues in the the Kondo (Golden Hall) are designated as national treasures. The thousand-armed Avolokiteshwara is my favorite but they're all sublime. Artistically, the Kondo is superior to the Kodo, and it also dates from the 700s. (See photo).
So do two other buildings in the
complex, standing side by side,
the Hozo and the Kyozo, storehouses of treasure and sutras respectively. They have an interesting construction, which you can see at some other Japanese temples: the square buildings sit off the ground supported by pillars. Ladders are used to reach the door, and then removed. Hozo was built when the temple was first constructed, and Kyozo (intriguingly) preceded it. I've seen exact copies of these buildings twice before: the first was at Samara in the Somme Valley, where French antiquarians reconstructed buildings from various prehistoric eras--this was a granary dating back, if memory serves me right, to the Bronze Age. The second was at an exhibition of prehistoric objects unearthed from mound burials in the Ukraine, and was a clay effigy, of remarkable workmanship and detail, of just such a granary, dated I believe about 10,000 years ago. The Ukrainian was original, but a model. The French was an actual building, but a replica. At Toshodai you get a brace of them, both original. The reason for the design, obviously, is that rodents can only get to your grain if they can walk upside down.
There's other treasures: a new museum full of them, the Shin-Hozo. Just opened, but the
treasures had been shown in another building, no longer open to the public. The most impressive are the many wooden statues of Buddhas and Bosatsus. Entrance fee is another 200 yen but you get a sheet explaining what each of the treasures is, in Japanese. If your Japanese is rusty, a solid minority of the treasures have brief explanations in English.
There are several other photogenic buildings, and peaceful gardens. Though on the far NE corner of the complex, do go to the shrine honoring the founder, the Chinese monk Ganjin. To get to the mound where the shrine is, you have to walk through a small woods of young trees, growing out of ground covered entirely by moss: almost painfully beautiful.
Admission: 600 yen. Many other attractions within walking distance of it. You can walk there from JR station: go west in Sanjo Dori, the first major street N of the station (highways 1 an 380 merge into it after a half-km or so. When you see a major highway sign telling you highway 52 is to the right, highway 9 to the left, turn left and stay on the right side of the road. The road leading to it is clearly marked. Bit of a long walk, though, with little of interest along the way; you might want to catch a taxi at the station.
Many marvels there, but let me start with what was, in my opinion, the all-out star of the show. From 710 to 784 Nara was the imperial capital on Japan. When the capital was moved to Kyoto, the old imperial palaces, audience halls and associated building were left to rot and disintegrate. Literally the imperial park became a rice paddy. With one exception. After the move, the Buddhist center at Toshodai-ji was given permission to use the imperial palace's assembly hall as a hall for religious lectures and debates. The hall was carefully dismantled and reverently reassembled at Toshodai. It has been maintained there since the time of Charlemagne! When you walk through the Kodo, you're walking in a building that Pre-Heian emperors and empresses themselves walked. And it's beautiful! You can't take photos inside, but I took one from outside the door, showing a row of the cypress pillars and supports, which I'll post here. The hall now houses several notable statues including a seated Miroku Bosatsu (future Buddha),
Toshodaiji is the headquarters of the Ritsu sect of Buddhism, so it's not surprising that there are a number of national treasures, as well as works designated as important cultural properties, there. I believe all three of the major statues in the the Kondo (Golden Hall) are designated as national treasures. The thousand-armed Avolokiteshwara is my favorite but they're all sublime. Artistically, the Kondo is superior to the Kodo, and it also dates from the 700s. (See photo).
So do two other buildings in the
complex, standing side by side,
the Hozo and the Kyozo, storehouses of treasure and sutras respectively. They have an interesting construction, which you can see at some other Japanese temples: the square buildings sit off the ground supported by pillars. Ladders are used to reach the door, and then removed. Hozo was built when the temple was first constructed, and Kyozo (intriguingly) preceded it. I've seen exact copies of these buildings twice before: the first was at Samara in the Somme Valley, where French antiquarians reconstructed buildings from various prehistoric eras--this was a granary dating back, if memory serves me right, to the Bronze Age. The second was at an exhibition of prehistoric objects unearthed from mound burials in the Ukraine, and was a clay effigy, of remarkable workmanship and detail, of just such a granary, dated I believe about 10,000 years ago. The Ukrainian was original, but a model. The French was an actual building, but a replica. At Toshodai you get a brace of them, both original. The reason for the design, obviously, is that rodents can only get to your grain if they can walk upside down.
There's other treasures: a new museum full of them, the Shin-Hozo. Just opened, but the
treasures had been shown in another building, no longer open to the public. The most impressive are the many wooden statues of Buddhas and Bosatsus. Entrance fee is another 200 yen but you get a sheet explaining what each of the treasures is, in Japanese. If your Japanese is rusty, a solid minority of the treasures have brief explanations in English.
There are several other photogenic buildings, and peaceful gardens. Though on the far NE corner of the complex, do go to the shrine honoring the founder, the Chinese monk Ganjin. To get to the mound where the shrine is, you have to walk through a small woods of young trees, growing out of ground covered entirely by moss: almost painfully beautiful.
Admission: 600 yen. Many other attractions within walking distance of it. You can walk there from JR station: go west in Sanjo Dori, the first major street N of the station (highways 1 an 380 merge into it after a half-km or so. When you see a major highway sign telling you highway 52 is to the right, highway 9 to the left, turn left and stay on the right side of the road. The road leading to it is clearly marked. Bit of a long walk, though, with little of interest along the way; you might want to catch a taxi at the station.
Written 9 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roger K
Sydney, Australia538 contributions
Apr 2014 • Solo
Toshodaiji Temple is located in the south western outskirts of Nara where once it was in the centre of Nara, when it was the capital of Japan over 1200 years ago.
In 759 AD, on the invitation of the Emperor Shomu, the Buddhist monk, Ganjin, from Jiangyin, China, today known as Yangzhou, established the first temple in Japan devoted to Chinese Buddhist teachings.
The easiest way to get there is by bus(70 or 72) from JR Nara train station. Travel time is about 15 minutes, 250 yen. Get off at Toshodaiji bus stop, which is basically at the front Southern gate.
You can travel by train from Kintetsu Nara but involves change of trains at Yamato-Saidaiji to Kintetsu Kashihara Line then travel to Station Nishinokyo Station, which is located just beside Yakushiji Temple.
I actually walked from JR Nara via Tomb of The Emperor Suinin then onto Toshodaiji Temple then back to JR Nara station. The casual walk only took 4 hours with plenty of time at each site and a few stops on the way.
Once you arrive at Toshodaiji (Entry fee is 600 yen), you enter through the Nandai-mon (Southern Great Gate) and immediately view Kondo or “Golden Hall (Main Hall),” which is the greatest structure of the 8th century remaining in Japan today.
A pathway to the left takes you into the western section, where you will find an ordination platform. On right of Kondo is the Kodo Lecture Hall, which was moved to Toshodaiji from the Nara Imperial Palace, and is now the only surviving building of the former palace. Beside the Kodo, on the eastern side are two azekuras, or wooden repositories, one for the storage of precious sutras and the other for treasures.
Behind the Kondo, well back in the temple grounds is the Meay-do being an example of the housing and life style of the aristocrats around 1000 AD. Attached to the Meay-do is a special garden where you can view the Keika or Qiong-hua flower, from Yangzhou in China, which was presented to the temple in 1963, in commemoration of 1200 years of Ganjin's death. Apparently it is a symbol of transformation from late spring to early summer. The garden is only open to the public when the Keika is in bloom. I was lucky to visit the garden on the 24th April to see the Keika in full flower.
Small paths, with thick overhanging foliage, various link sites across the temple grounds. The temple also has a large bell from the Heian period that can be found along one of these pathways.
Wandering through the various tree lined pathways you can appreciate the tranquility that the surrounding nature would have inspired Ganjin and his devotees in the pursuit of their religious pursuits.
Ganjin's grave rests quietly in the North East corner of the temple site, at the end of a woody path, passing through a moss garden, within high Japanese maple and cypress pine trees, across a small tree lined pond, to a small unassuming burial mound. A temizuya, a customary water fountain, with ladles greet you to purify yourself before approaching Ganjin’s resting place.
As noted by other contributors, this is Toshodaiji Temple, not to be confused with the much larger Todaiji Temple, which is located on the eastern side of Nara, with its vendors, tourist crowds and deer. Unfortunately some of the posts to this site relate to Todaiji, not Toshodaiji, so please be aware of the difference.
In 759 AD, on the invitation of the Emperor Shomu, the Buddhist monk, Ganjin, from Jiangyin, China, today known as Yangzhou, established the first temple in Japan devoted to Chinese Buddhist teachings.
The easiest way to get there is by bus(70 or 72) from JR Nara train station. Travel time is about 15 minutes, 250 yen. Get off at Toshodaiji bus stop, which is basically at the front Southern gate.
You can travel by train from Kintetsu Nara but involves change of trains at Yamato-Saidaiji to Kintetsu Kashihara Line then travel to Station Nishinokyo Station, which is located just beside Yakushiji Temple.
I actually walked from JR Nara via Tomb of The Emperor Suinin then onto Toshodaiji Temple then back to JR Nara station. The casual walk only took 4 hours with plenty of time at each site and a few stops on the way.
Once you arrive at Toshodaiji (Entry fee is 600 yen), you enter through the Nandai-mon (Southern Great Gate) and immediately view Kondo or “Golden Hall (Main Hall),” which is the greatest structure of the 8th century remaining in Japan today.
A pathway to the left takes you into the western section, where you will find an ordination platform. On right of Kondo is the Kodo Lecture Hall, which was moved to Toshodaiji from the Nara Imperial Palace, and is now the only surviving building of the former palace. Beside the Kodo, on the eastern side are two azekuras, or wooden repositories, one for the storage of precious sutras and the other for treasures.
Behind the Kondo, well back in the temple grounds is the Meay-do being an example of the housing and life style of the aristocrats around 1000 AD. Attached to the Meay-do is a special garden where you can view the Keika or Qiong-hua flower, from Yangzhou in China, which was presented to the temple in 1963, in commemoration of 1200 years of Ganjin's death. Apparently it is a symbol of transformation from late spring to early summer. The garden is only open to the public when the Keika is in bloom. I was lucky to visit the garden on the 24th April to see the Keika in full flower.
Small paths, with thick overhanging foliage, various link sites across the temple grounds. The temple also has a large bell from the Heian period that can be found along one of these pathways.
Wandering through the various tree lined pathways you can appreciate the tranquility that the surrounding nature would have inspired Ganjin and his devotees in the pursuit of their religious pursuits.
Ganjin's grave rests quietly in the North East corner of the temple site, at the end of a woody path, passing through a moss garden, within high Japanese maple and cypress pine trees, across a small tree lined pond, to a small unassuming burial mound. A temizuya, a customary water fountain, with ladles greet you to purify yourself before approaching Ganjin’s resting place.
As noted by other contributors, this is Toshodaiji Temple, not to be confused with the much larger Todaiji Temple, which is located on the eastern side of Nara, with its vendors, tourist crowds and deer. Unfortunately some of the posts to this site relate to Todaiji, not Toshodaiji, so please be aware of the difference.
Written 8 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracy P
Hong Kong, China654 contributions
Nov 2019 • Friends
It’s actually located in Nara city, not far away but not well known by foreign tourists. The temple is simple old and the environment is original without extra decoration. If you are Chinese or understand the History of Tang Dynasty, you may like the story of the temple establisher, a Chinese monk, how to pass through the ocean from China to Japan in 12 years and advocated Buddhism in Japan. Highly recommend this temple where is world heritage site.
Written 5 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
blainebbutler
Boston, MA18 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
Nice temple, just be ready to enter into a sea of people all pushing to get the perfect shot. Watch out or you'll get a selfie stick to the head when you least expect it
Written 2 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NH Mom
169 contributions
Jul 2015 • Solo
This was one of my favorite temples in Japan. It is off the beaten path, in the western suburbs of Nara. Because I was short on time, I took a taxi from the JR station, and it was costly (1700 yen). A bus takes a bit longer but is more reasonable (260 yen). The bus stop is at the cross street, about a 10 minute walk from the temple.
This is a quiet, older temple complex. Do walk up and around to find the wooded shrine dedicated to its blind founder, Prince Ganjin. The mossy woods and stream there are special, and you feel miles away from the busy main city of Nara. The lecture hall and kondo are also worth a concentrated visit. The famous statue of Ganjin is also there, in its own wooden building on the way to the wooded shrine.
This is a quiet, older temple complex. Do walk up and around to find the wooded shrine dedicated to its blind founder, Prince Ganjin. The mossy woods and stream there are special, and you feel miles away from the busy main city of Nara. The lecture hall and kondo are also worth a concentrated visit. The famous statue of Ganjin is also there, in its own wooden building on the way to the wooded shrine.
Written 24 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mobile10466
Denver, Colorado1 contribution
No idea why I love this temple so much. It's not the largest, most famous, most colorful or anything. But the spirit of the place is so palpably alive...I've had wonderful experiences both times I went, years apart.
Written 22 March 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steven S
Beijing, China49 contributions
Jun 2019
We travelled there by subway/train from Nara. It is a little confusing and requires a transfer, but the men working the platforms at Japanese train stations are so darn helpful!
This temple was a bit of a hike from the train station, but Google maps never let us down. We actually wandered through some rice terraces to get there and it ended up being a bit of an adventure.
We were rewarded when we got there. Most of the temples in and around the Nara deer park are expensive and crowded. This one was a quiet and peaceful place to wander around.
I would recommend this one over the nearby Yakushi-ji temple.
This temple was a bit of a hike from the train station, but Google maps never let us down. We actually wandered through some rice terraces to get there and it ended up being a bit of an adventure.
We were rewarded when we got there. Most of the temples in and around the Nara deer park are expensive and crowded. This one was a quiet and peaceful place to wander around.
I would recommend this one over the nearby Yakushi-ji temple.
Written 30 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I'm planning a trip to Toshodai-ji in May. I'm just trying to work out how long do I need to see this temple?
Written 12 April 2015
if travelling from nara jr station by bus 20 min each way. you could walk around in 30 min but don't rush ,,,,,,take your time so about 1-1.5 hrs should be fine
Written 27 May 2015
Is this Temple open on April 29th, Shōwa Day?
Written 31 January 2015
Their website is saying they are opening on all the day, so you will be alright. However, they close at 17:00 (you need to get a ticket by 16:30). Hope you have a great trip!
Written 1 February 2015
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