Overview
Prince Shōtoku founded the temple in 607; that first complex burned in 670 and the rebuilding is what survives, which dendrochronology has now dated precisely. The proportions are Asuka-period and unlike anything later — heavy, wide-eaved, with entasis in the columns that has been compared, contentiously, to Greek practice. The Gallery of Temple Treasures holds the Kudara Kannon, a two-metre camphorwood figure of extraordinary slimness.
Highlights
Come on a weekday and allow two hours: the western precinct, the treasure gallery and the octagonal Yumedono in the east are three separate walks. It is a thirty-minute train ride plus a bus from Nara, which keeps the crowds away. Photography is not allowed inside the halls, and the interiors are dark by design — let your eyes adjust rather than moving on.