The oldest three-story pagoda in Japan | Nara·Hokki-ji

| Nara·Hokki-ji. Hokki-ji is about a 20-minute walk from Horyu-ji, and when Horyu-ji was included in the World Heritage in 1993, Hokki-ji, as a building within the precincts of Horyu-ji, was also included. The signature of Hokki-ji is its three-story pagoda, which is the oldest three-story pagoda in Japan, built during the Asuka period of Japan, in the year 706 AD. At that time, China was in the Tang Dynasty, and Empress Wu Zetian had just died the previous year, with Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, succeeding to the throne. Japan's Asuka period began in 592 AD, when Empress Suiko, the first female emperor in Japanese history, ascended to the throne. That year, the Chinese mainland was under the 'Kaihuang's administration' of Emperor Wen of Sui. In 593, Empress Suiko appointed Prince Shotoku, the son of Emperor Yomei, as the crown prince and regent, who is the famous 'Prince Shotoku' in Japanese history and the history of Buddhism in Japan. Prince Shotoku devoted his life to the promotion of Buddhism, and Hokki-ji is said to be one of the seven temples established by Prince Shotoku. The origin of Hokki-ji and the exact date of the Hokki-ji three-story pagoda are both derived from the 'Private Chronicles of Prince Shotoku' written by the Horyu-ji monk Kenshin during the Kamakura period (13th century). According to the inscription of the Hokki-ji three-story pagoda's 'sorin' (the pagoda's finial, the original of which no longer exists) recorded in the book: The establishment of Hokki-ji was based on the last wish of Prince Shotoku before his death in 622, to convert his residence, Okamoto Palace, into a temple. In 638, the monks of the time rebuilt the Golden Hall (Okamoto Palace had been burned down), and the construction of the pagoda began in 685, with the 'sorin' being made only in 706. According to the inscription, it took over 80 years from Prince Shotoku's last wish to the completion of the pagoda, and over 20 years just for the construction of the pagoda itself, which of course has much to be scrutinized. As we have written before, the modern major repairs of ancient Japanese buildings began with the Meiji restoration of ancient buildings in Nara, led by Tadashi Sekino in 1897. In addition to the Shin-Yakushi-ji we have written about, the first batch of ancient buildings to be repaired included the three-story pagoda of Hokki-ji. Interestingly, during the Meiji restoration, the central pillar of the Hokki-ji three-story pagoda was replaced due to decay, with about 4-5 centimeters being cut off and replaced. According to the research by Japanese dendrochronology scholars on the replaced part, the outermost tree ring was formed in 572 AD - over 100 years earlier than the initial construction date of the pagoda recorded in the 'sorin' inscription... In any case, although scholars generally accept that the Hokki-ji three-story pagoda was built during the Asuka period based on the style of the pagoda and documentary records, the exact date of its construction is actually in the state of 'since there is no strong evidence to refute the documentary records, we tentatively believe what is written in the book.'