Nara

Nara was the ancient capital of Japan and remained a great centre of Buddhist worship long after the imperial court departed. Tōdai-ji, founded under Emperor Shōmu, housed a colossal bronze image of the Buddha Vairocana. Through the Middle Ages the monks of Kōfuku-ji, the family temple of the Fujiwara, governed the province of Yamato, and the sacred deer of the Kasuga Shrine wandered the town.

In 1567 fighting between the Miyoshi and Matsunaga destroyed the Great Buddha Hall and badly damaged the statue. For years the Buddha stood exposed to the weather. The monk Kōkei gathered donations across Japan for its restoration, and in 1692 a ceremony celebrated the repaired image. Rebuilding the hall proved still more costly; completed in the early eighteenth century, it was narrower than its predecessor. Its dedication in 1709 marked a remarkable recovery for the ancient temple.