Japan's first Buddhist temple was built in the 6th century as the Hokoji Temple at Asuka. To help with its construction, specialists came from the Kingdom of Paekche, on the Korean peninsula. When the Emperor Gemmyo moved his capital from Asuka to Nara in 710, the temple moved with him and was renamed Gangoji.
The Gokurakubo or main hall.
The interior.
The altar.
Offerings.
Boddhisattvas.
Side view.
Adjacent to the hall, there is a potter's field for those who died during the Edo Period from epidemics and natural disasters. The bodhisattvas hold perpetual service for them.
Heavenly drinking fountain.
