Kofuku-ji

The Fujiwara clan moved their family temple here in 710 when the capital moved to Nara, and for the next eight hundred years Kofuku-ji was one of the most powerful institutions in the country, with its own armed monks and 175 sub-temples. Then came 1868 and the Meiji government's campaign to separate Buddhism from Shinto, which hit this temple harder than almost anywhere. Monks were forced to return to lay life, buildings were pulled down, and the five-storey pagoda was reportedly offered for sale for the value of its metal fittings. Nobody bought it. That is why it is still standing.

At 50 metres it is the second tallest wooden pagoda in Japan, and it is under a full restoration that will keep it inside scaffolding and hoardings until the early 2030s, so do not plan a photograph around it. The Central Golden Hall, rebuilt in 2018 after three centuries of absence, is worth seeing while the pagoda is not.

What you come for is the National Treasure Hall. The Ashura statue is the reason: a slight, three-faced, six-armed figure made of dry lacquer in 734, with the expression of a teenager who has just understood something painful. It is one of the most reproduced objects in Japanese art and it does not disappoint in person. The hall is around 700 yen and the rest of the collection is on the same level.

The grounds have no walls and no gate. Deer wander through from the park, the paths connect straight to Nara Park and Sarusawa Pond below, and walking through costs nothing at all.