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Words-and-Pictures: Nara's Yakushiji
(as seen on October 10th, 2001, on the
Yamato section of the Aki
Meguri)
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| Note: Nara is in
the heart of Old Yamato. Yakushiji is one of the many temples located on Nara's quieter
west side. It is between Toshodaiji and Horyuji. A walk down this road
evokes the past in a way that few places can. You can read
about my visit to Nara in my Logbook, read more about my Yamato
experiences, or read about the entire Aki
Meguri from the beginning. |
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Here's the south
gate. You can see the roof of the main hall, and the
pagodas on either side. |
| The main hall was rebuilt in 1976.
The pedestal of the main image is quite interesting. On
its back are motifs from ancient Greece, Persia, India, and
China. This despite the fact that it was created in the
Hakuho Period (645-710). |
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The Lecture Hall is under
reconstruction. |
| The East Pagoda dates back to the
Hakuho Period, the only one of its kind in Japan. It
escaped the fire in 1528 that destroyed the main hall and the
West Pagoda. |
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The West Pagoda dates
all the way back to 1980. |
| I mentioned "getting off on the
wrong foot" at this temple. I came in at the north
end--the back end--and was assessed a hefty 800 yen to get past
the gate in this picture into an enclosure. Once inside,
it was all new woodwork--and no pictures allowed. I was
miffed. |
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So I snuck this shot of the little
hall in the center of the walled compound. It wasn't until
I walked south that I discovered that there was much, much more
to this temple. Though it was by far the highest fee of
the day, I'd have to say it was worth it. |
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HISTORY
