The founder of Todaiji was inspired by sutra. Sutra originated in India. It came to Japan through China. Emperor Shomu, Gyoki, Roben and the Indian monk Bodhisena are the four saintly founders of Todaiji. Monk Roben, the religious advisor of Emperor Shomu, supports the idea of having gold cover the bronze status Daibutsu. People respected him so his small Nara hermitage became the part of the Todaiji when temple was built. Monk Gyoki, another advisor of Emperor Shomu, has been called living bodhisattva for his compassion and love to the lower level of society. He was serving as chief solicitor of Todaiji.4 Emperor Shomu is an important founder and patron to Todaiji. When the decision of building Todaiji first came out, it aroused serious opposition because it was so costly that it would spend most of the nation’s resources. For instance, Emperor Shomu wants the Vairocana Buddha statue to be covered in gold. As a devout Buddhist, emperor Shomu wished to spread Buddhism throughout the nation. He began planning to build up monasteries which would be the headquarters of a unified Buddhism church and chief seminary for training monks. So he required each province in the country to have a monastery or a nunnery with seven storied pagoda and at least ten copies of lotus sutra.5 These sanctuaries were designed for the protection of the realm. Emperor Shomu’s family also shared his religious zeal. For example, He and his consort became vegetarian to meet the standard of monks and they also made thousands of copies of Buddhist scriptures.
Todaiji is the headquarter of monasteries where monks were to be trained and ordained. In the early age, Buddhism was more about for monks or people who entered the monastic life to gain the spiritual enlighten through meditation or daily works. Laymen gained enlightenment by supporting the monastic life and they achieved nirvana only through good karma and rebirth at higher levels of existence until they too could lead a hermetic life. Helping building Todaiji consider as supporting monastic life, which is one of the reason why government mobilized people to join the construction.
However, a Buddhism temple became a place which protected not only individual believers but also the nation and their rulers. Since it protected a kingdom and its ruling families, it attracted state resources to support the faith. This practice played an important role of in expansion of Buddhism in Asia.
Todaiji’s huge votive hall and religious art reflect the wealth and power of the throne and express the complex theological concepts.6 Emperor Shomu consolidated the authority of the throne and showed off his power at a time when it was still threatened by rivals through the Todaiji. He bombastically proclaimed his own vast power and authority in the same way as the first and the only Empress in Chinese history, Empress Wu.
Empress Wu promoted Buddhism’s status in China. She liked Buddhism’s equitable ideas and under her control, Buddhism official ranked above male-orientated Confucian and Daoist ideology.7 Buddhism’s idea of equitable supported her position in Tang court. She also built a huge stone carved Buddha which looks like her to proclaim her power.
The construction of Todaiji has the same purpose with Empress Wu’s idea and the Great Buddha statue in Todaiji is conscious emulation of her Cosmic Buddha statue. Todaiji is expressing the idea that government is under the protection of Buddhism.8 It combines architecture and authority at the same time. The temple proves that the emperor’s power can be an influence on secular prerogatives, divine association, architectural style, and technology. An examples of power was how emperor Shomu can require people to join in the project of building Todaiji; The eye opening ceremony needed the emperor to draw the eye of Daibutsu; and his thoughts influenced the style of Todaiji.
The construction of Todaiji was under the special created government which shows how serious it was to emperor Shomu. This project not only cost money but also required labors. The government hired thousands of cooks for craftsmen and laborer. It cost so much that protests occurred during the contemporary period.
The temple was badly damaged in 1180 and 1567 during the civil wars and earthquakes. Only Shoso-in treasure house and Sangatsu-do building survived; and only parts of the lotus petals on the statue’s pedestal is from the original. Since Todaiji is an important monument which embodies both political and Buddhism faith, it was repaired fast and survived twelve centuries. Although each generation of restorers has their own style of rebuilding the temple, they kept its Strong Chinese features and maintained both the forms and spirit of the past architecture. Its survival shows its own significant to Japan. Japanese people think it is necessary to reconstruct this temple after chaos and disaster.
The original Todaiji was thirty percent wider than the contemporary monastery building.9 Todaiji was the second important building during the Nara period after Nara palace. Nevertheless, Todaiji has the same arrangement with the Nara palace. The temple goes from north to south along with an axis and is surrounded by walls with three gateways on the south and north. Three gateways are made for people with different identities. Not everyone can walk through the middle door. There are two pagodas at the south side of Daibutsu den, which is consider as the tallest structure in ancient East Asia.10
