Horyuji Temple's 600s AD five-story pagoda is the world's oldest wooden building. Nara Prefecture, Japan.

Horyuji Temple's five-story pagoda (32 meters or 122 feet high) is the world's oldest wooden building. Nara Prefecture, Japan. The wood used in the center pillar of the pagoda is estimated through a dendrochronological analysis to have been felled in 594. At left is the Kondo (Main Hall), which was rebuilt in 1954 after a 1949 fire destroyed 80-85% of its wood. Horyu-ji Temple was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, an early promoter of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of Japan's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

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Filename: 1810JPN-7238.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 5472x3648 / 5.3MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Honshu Japan belief history past religion
Contained in galleries: 2018 Oct 10-Nov8: JAPAN all, Nara: Horyuji Temple

Horyuji Temple's five-story pagoda (32 meters or 122 feet high) is the world's oldest wooden building. Nara Prefecture, Japan. The wood used in the center pillar of the pagoda is estimated through a dendrochronological analysis to have been felled in 594. At left is the Kondo (Main Hall), which was rebuilt in 1954 after a 1949 fire destroyed 80-85% of its wood. Horyu-ji Temple was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, an early promoter of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of Japan's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.