Kofukuji Temple 興福寺

Kofukuji Temple, Nara

Kofukuji Temple, situated a short walk from the center of Nara, in Nara Park, is one of the city's most beautiful and historic temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kofukuji, along with Todaiji and Horyuji, make up the "Big Three" must-see temples of Nara.

History of Kofukuji Temple

Kofukuji Temple was founded in 669 by the powerful Fujiwara family of court nobles in Heian Period Japan. At its peak the complex comprised around 175 buildings, only a precious few still remain.

Kofukuji Temple was moved from Yamashina, now a suburb in the east of Kyoto to its present location in 710, when Nara became the new capital of the Yamato state. Along with Horyuji and Todaiji, Kofukuji Temple is important in the establishment and acceptance of Buddhism in Japan at this time. Kofukuji was known as one of the four great temples of the Nara Period and one of the seven great temples of the Heian Period in Nara: Daianji, Gangoji, Horyuji, Kofukuji, Saidaiji, Todaiji and Yakushiji.

However, none of the buildings date from the Nara Period (710-794), with most of the structures having been built between the 12th-18th centuries. Tokugawa Ieyasu provided a grant to the temple in the early 17th century to allow many of the buildings in the complex to be restored.

The "Eastern Golden Hall" or Tokondo (Admission, 300 yen), a 15th century building north of the Five-Story Pagoda, has more Buddhist statues including a large image of Yakushi Nyorai flanked by three Boddhisattva, the Four Heavenly Kings (shitenno 四天王) and the Twelve Heavenly Generals (junishinno 十二神王) plus a beautiful seated image of Yuima Koji (the Indian Buddhist sage Vimalakirti).

The Five-Story Pagoda, which was completely restored in 1426, is the second tallest pagoda in Japan at 50.1m, behind the 55m-tall pagoda at Toji Temple in Kyoto. The pagoda had burnt down no less than five times before the 15th century.

The Three-Story Pagoda dates from the early 12th century and houses some important Buddhist paintings.

The original Central Golden Hall (Chukondo) at Kofukuji was destroyed by fire in 1717 and although a smaller reconstruction was built in the 1800's a completely new full-scale replica is under construction, due to be completed in 2018.

The Kofukuji temple complex has two octagonal buildings containing yet more ancient Buddhist treasures: the Hokuendo (Northern Octagonal Hall) and the Nanendo (Southern Octagonal Hall). Both have restricted opening hours to the public.

The Oyuya or bathhouse has an earthen floor and dates from the Muromachi Period. The bathhouse at Kofukuji has two large iron cauldrons. The practice of cleanliness at Buddhist temples influenced the growth of the bathing culture in Japan, seen in the popularity of sento and onsen.