This Month’s Temple – Yakushiji

Yakushiji is a beautiful temple in the city of Nara.
As you pass the entrance gate, you feel the powerful presence of the orderly and systematically designed building located on the temple grounds.
The pagodas which are located on both sides of the temple, especially the eastern pagoda is exceptionally beautiful.
These pagodas seem to be 6 fold but in actuality are 3 fold. This is because each layer has its own small roof called a Mokoshi and the layers of small and big roofs creates a rhythmic beauty that has gained the nickname “frozen music”.
Yakushiji was built in the year 680 by the order of Emperor Tenmu and was entered into the UNESCO World Heritage as one of Nara’s cultural assets.