Asuka and Nara: the arrival of Buddhism

Buddhism came from Korea and China, bringing temples, bronze Buddhas and a new world of images – preserved in the world’s oldest wooden buildings.

When Buddhism reached Japan in the 6th century, craftsmen, architects and writing followed. Prince Shōtoku promoted the new teaching and founded Hōryū-ji, home to the world’s oldest surviving wooden buildings.

In the Nara period Nara became the capital on the Chinese model. Emperor Shōmu had the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji cast, one of the largest bronze statues in the world, consecrated in 752.

The Shōsōin, Tōdai-ji’s storehouse, preserves thousands of objects from the emperor’s collection – from Persian glass to musical instruments and textiles. It is a time capsule from the Asia of the Silk Road.

• The Tori style and the early Buddhas
• Hōryū-ji: wood that has survived for 1,300 years
• Bronze, clay and dry lacquer
• The Shōsōin: an imperial storehouse
• Writing, printing and the first picture narrative
• Close reading: the Yakushi Triad at Yakushi-ji
• Emperors, empresses and the temples of the state
• The capital Heijō-kyō
• The tomb paintings of Asuka: Takamatsuzuka and Kitora
• Legacy: destruction, rescue and World Heritage
• Tori Busshi