Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan | Controversial ancient buildings

If you have visited Shanxi and followed Liang Lin's footsteps to admire the ancient buildings, but you are still not satisfied... Cross the border ~ First stop, Nara, Japan In 710 AD, Heijokyo (now Nara) was built, [equivalent to one-fourth the size of Chang'an City], and its overall layout imitated that of Chang'an City. The Nara period was the peak period of Japan's imitation of the Tang Dynasty. A large number of envoys were sent to the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty culture was systematically inherited. In 745 AD, the fourth year of the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Shomu of Japan, in order to pray for peace, followed the edict of Wu Zetian in the early Tang Dynasty and built Dayun Temple (now Todaiji Temple), which became the general management center for temple affairs in Japan. Todaiji Temple With a history of more than 1,200 years, Todaiji Temple has been destroyed many times by fire and earthquake, and the existing buildings can be traced back to 1709. The Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. It is truly gigantic! The existing Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple is 57 meters long, about 50 meters wide and about 49 meters high. It should be noted that the Great Buddha Hall was dismantled and repaired during the Meiji era (with steel truss supports added), but it is still recognized by UNESCO as one of the largest wooden buildings in the world today! By the way, there is a very thick pillar in the Great Buddha Hall with a hole underneath. Many people are drilling into it, especially students (who seem to be local Japanese students). Legend has it that this symbolizes that "the exam must be passed successfully." South Gate The South Gate has a double-layered hip roof, about 50 meters wide and 25 meters high. It was built in 760, but was destroyed by fire and restored and rebuilt during the Kamakura period (1199). This is a pure Song Dynasty building, with an entirely wooden structure supported by 18 21-meter-high wooden pillars. It was built by craftsmen invited from Ningbo during the Southern Song Dynasty (more similar to the ancient architectural style in Zhejiang and Fujian). What impressed me most were the tall and mighty Vajrapani statues on both sides of the door. They were made of cypress (reminiscent of the strongmen in Longmen Grottoes), and were very well carved, with their muscle lines and expressions showing a strong momentum! Shosoin Shosoin stands quietly behind Todaiji Temple. Every autumn when the treasure house is exposed, some of the treasures will be exhibited at the Nara National Museum with a special theme for only two weeks. During the war, Mr. Liang Sicheng protected Kyoto and Nara as a scholar. The US military bombed all over Japan, but unfortunately did not affect these two cities. As he said: "It is not only the ancient capital of Japan, but also a cultural treasure of all mankind."