After being molested by the deer, who by the way are considered to be messengers of the gods (here’s their message: Gimme a biscuit!), we walked over to Todaiji Temple.
Todaiji is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was once known as one of the seven great temples. Some of it’s incredible history: a temple has been in this spot since the early 700s — 1300 years ago. It took 2.6 million people to build the temple. After several fires, the current building has stood in place since 1709 and was the world’s largest wooden building for nearly 300 years all the way until 1998.
To say it’s large understates its size. You can easily imagine a peasant from 1000 years ago walking up to the building and trembling in the face of its greatness.
Inside is the world’s largest wooden buddha.
And it is flanked by two samurai soldiers that stand on either side, respectfully behind the giant buddha. They’re giant as well — there is nothing small about this temple!
See a resemblance?
