Usual hours and prices, checked 2026-10-04 against the sources under “What this place is”. They can change for holidays and events — confirm before you go. Official site
Our guide
This page covers Tōshōdai-ji and Yakushi-ji together, though our source describes only Tōshōdai-ji. That temple, of the Risshū school, was founded in 759 by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (Ganjin), who came from Tang China. Its Golden Hall — a single storey under a hipped tiled roof, seven bays wide — is considered the archetype of the “classical style”. It is part of the World Heritage Site of Ancient Nara.
Nishinokyō Station on the Kintetsu Kashihara Line is about 550 m away in a straight line. This area is some way from central Nara: Heijō Palace is about 2 km off and Saidai-ji about 2.1 km, while Kofuku-ji is about 4.3 km away. We have not checked opening hours or fees.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Toshodai-ji, Golden Hall 01 — Naokijp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Nara Toshodai-ji Courtyard 1 — Zairon · CC BY 4.0 · source · resized
- Nara Toshodai-ji Courtyard 2 — Zairon · CC BY 4.0 · source · resized
- Nara Toshodai-ji Courtyard 3 — Zairon · CC BY 4.0 · source · resized
- Nara Toshodai-ji Pond — Zairon · CC BY 4.0 · source · resized
- Qiong Flower — na0905 · CC BY 2.0 · source · resized
- Toshodai-ji National Treasure World heritage 国宝・世界遺産唐招提寺38 — Nekosuki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Toshodai-ji National Treasure World heritage 国宝・世界遺産唐招提寺39 — Nekosuki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Toshodai-ji, Earthen Wall 01 — Naokijp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Toshodaiji azekura kyozo — Tsuyoshi chiba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Tōshōdai-ji (唐招提寺) is a Buddhist temple of the Risshū sect in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Classic Golden Hall, also known as the kondō, has a single story, hipped tiled roof with a seven bay wide facade. It is considered the archetype of "classical style".It was founded in 759 by the Tang dynasty Chinese monk Jianzhen during the Nara period. Jianzhen was hired by the newly empowered clans to travel in search of funding from private aristocrats as well.Tōshōdai-ji is one of the places in Nara that UNESCO has designated as World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara".
Visitor information checked: 2026-10-04 · Official visiting information (1) · Official visiting information (2)
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Temple
Nearby station
Nearby station: Nishinokyō (Kintetsu Kashihara Line), about 550 m from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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