Nara's 1300-year-old wood buildings

Horyuji: First registered World Heritage site in Japan

Keigetsu Watanabe Oct 12, 2014 - 1 min read

Front of a gate showing the Asuka Period's architectural style

Statue of one of a pair of fierce guardian gods, keeping his mouth opening

The other one of the pair of fierce guardian gods, keeping his mouth closing

A wooden door with beautiful patterns. This is one of the entrances of the temple's five-story pagoda

Wooden building of a dark-brownish color was silent

Japan's oldest five-story wooden pagoda is also located at the Horyuji site

A simple wooden door and fences. Its light brown color also created a peaceful atmosphere

Horyuji Temple, registered as Japan's first World heritage site, is the oldest temple located in Nara prefecture, It was established in the Asuka Period, over 1,300 years ago.

The Horyuji complex consist of some beautiful wooden buildings of the Asuka architectural style, Buddha statues, and historical sites under greens. Some of them are certified as Japan national treasures.

I recommend visiting here and enjoying this peaceful place at your own slow pace, although the site is located a bit far from the heart of Nara city.

More info

Find out more about Horyuji Temple.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Keigetsu Watanabe @keigetsu.watanabe

Japanese contemporary calligrapher in Tokyo. Began studying Japanese calligraphy (shodo) at childhood. Certified as a Japanese calligraphy master in 2005 and 2012.