Todaiji
Title
Todaiji
Publisher
Lawrence Technological University
Date Created
August 7, 2015
Creator2
O’Connor, Thomas (photograph)
Work Type
Single Built Works
Date
April, 1972
Work Location
Japan (nation)
Nara (inhabited place)
Style/Period
Japanese architecture styles
Subject
temples (buildings)
brackets (structural elements)
Japanese Buddhism
Description
Detail view of brackets near roofline at the Great Buddha Hall at the Todaiji Temple precinct in Nara, Japan, still the world's largest wooden building. "Upon reaching the temple worship hall, they are within the physical presence of Buddha and thus focused their prayers towards the religious icon. In order to project a grandiose, yet harmonious atmosphere within the worship hall, a special architectural style divided the temple into four interdependent areas: 1) Base columns, 2) Sloping roof, 3) Interlaced brackets, 4) Roof decorations. All four areas were mathematically dependent upon each other. Therefore, structural integrity changes in one area required the recalculation of the other three areas. Since temple-building was both a ritualistic and architectural endeavor, the entire project followed a predefined modular process, for no parts were prefabricated ahead of time,"--Japanese architecture & temple structure, Leon Z. Lee, 8/13/2003 from the Association for Asian Research website.
Material/Medium
wood (plant material)
Reproduction Type
jpeg
Copyright Statement
©2013 Lawrence Technological University. These images may be used for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes without the explicit permission of LTU.
ID Number
LTU-TOJ-138
- Date Added
- August 7, 2015
- Collection
- LTU Digital Images
- Item Type
- VRA Core
- Tags
- brackets, Buddhist, temples
- Citation
- “Todaiji,” LTU Digital Images, accessed March 29, 2024, https://ltuimagecollection.omeka.net/items/show/14913.