

Nenbutsudo / Todaiji Temple
Nenbutsudo Hall of Todaiji Temple is an architectural structure built in the Kamakura period and is designated as an important cultural property. Originally called Jizo-do, this hall has a hipped roof with a shiko-roof and is approximately 6 meters long and 10 meters deep. Although the date of construction is not clear, an inscription inscribed with “Katei 3 (1237), Daibutsushi Koseiyo” was found inside the statue of Jizo Bosatsu, the main statue in the hall, and this is thought to indicate the date of construction. According to one theory, the temple was also founded by a man named Fujimoto Gonmori, who ran a brothel in Settsu Province. It is also said that Jizo Bosatsu (Jizo Bodhisattva) was built as a memorial to Shigen Shonin, who devoted himself to the reconstruction of Todaiji Temple, and other Buddhist priests of the Kei school. During the Genroku era, the Nenbutsudo, the seated statue of Jizo Bosatsu, and the large bathhouse on the temple grounds were repaired during the reconstruction of the Great Buddha Hall by Priest Kokei.