Great Lecture Hall

The single-storied Great Lecture Hall stands between the Bell Tower (Shoro), located on its east side, and the Sutra Repository (Kyozo), which is located to the west. The building was used by priests as a place to study and it also once served as a refectory.

The Great Lecture Hall and the Bell Tower were destroyed in 925 in a fire caused by a lightning strike. The Great Lecture Hall was rebuilt in 990 to enshrine Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing.

Among the notable Buddhist statues housed within the hall is the seated Yakushi Nyorai figure cast when the hall was rebuilt. The statue is about 2.5 meters tall and is flanked by Nikko and Gakko, a pair of bodhisattvas which represent sunlight and moonlight. There is also a pair of elevated seats for priests to use during temple ceremonies.

Yakushi triad (National treasure, Heian Period: end of 8th - late 12th c.) and Four Heavenly Guardians (Important cultural property, Heian Period: end of 8th - late 12th c.)

Yakushi (Sakyamuni) triad

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