Tentang lokasi ini: Horyu-ji
Horyu-ji, didirikan tahun 607 oleh Pangeran Shotoku, berisi struktur kayu tertua yang masih hidup di dunia. Kompleks Sai-in, termasuk kondo dan pagoda lima lantai, bertahan dari akhir abad ke-7/awal ke-8. Salah satu situs UNESCO pertama Jepang (1993), harta karun seni Buddhis.
Sorotan utama
- Kondo (Main Hall) — built in the 7th century, the world's oldest wooden building, enshrining the Shaka Triad (a National Treasure); admire the entasis columns
- Five-Story Pagoda — 31.5 m tall, the world's oldest pagoda; the proportional balance from the first to fifth tiers is exquisite
- Yumedono (Hall of Dreams) and To-in Precinct — built in 739 as an octagonal hall, with the secret Guze Kannon, said to be a life-sized image of Prince Shotoku
- Chumon (Central Gate) — the main gate to the Sai-in Precinct, with entasis columns and two Niou (Vajra Warrior) guardians
- Kudara Kannon (National Treasure) — enshrined in the Daihozoin, a 2.1 m wooden Asuka-period image with a uniquely elongated form
