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Shoryoin
The Shoryoin is a temple dedicated to the worship of Shotoku Taishi (574–622). It was also used as living quarters for priests in the Nara period (710–794). This long and narrow building, aligned on a north to south axis, stands to the east of the Western Precinct. The southern third of the building was renovated in 1121, but the remaining two-thirds retain much of its original appearance.
The Shoryoin enshrines a statue of Shotoku Taishi along with statues of his attendants, all of which are said to date back to 1121. The statues of Jizo Bosatsu and Nyoirin Kannon date from the beginning and the end of the Heian period (794–1185) respectively. Worship of the deified Shotoku Taishi reached a peak in the Kamakura period (1185–1333). During this time, a great many statues, portraits, and other icons of the prince made from the 12th to 13th century came to be enshrined here.
Higashimuro
Higashimuro is originally a living quarter for temple priests. It is the only remaining building of the four monk's quarters listed in Horyuji Shizaicho(the Records of Horyuji Property) in 747. There were originally nine rooms, consisted of a doorway and double windows, but the three rooms on the south side were renovated to build Shoryoin in 1121. The main room in the middle has a curved shape with a rainbow-like beams, similar to the rainbow-like beams in the Covered Corridor, so it is assumed that Higashimuro was built soon after the main temples of the Horyuji complex.
Statue of Shotoku Taishi
Shotoku Taishi (574–622), the son of Emperor Yomei, played a central role in the acceptance and establishment of Buddhism after it was brought to Japan from the Asian continent in the mid-sixth century.
This 84.2-centimeter-tall statue of a seated Shotoku Taishi in court-style dress and holding a scepter was carved in 1121. The statue depicts the prince between the ages of 35 and 46, when he preached a sermon about the Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala Sutra to Empress Suiko (554–628).