Great South Gate
Name of Building
Great South Gate
Nandai-mon
南大門
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Nara,Japan
Date the building was designed and/or first built
Original Built: 752
Destroyed: 962
Rebuilt: 1203
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Edict: Emperor Shoumu (741 -752)
Rebuilt: Chougen (1203)
Statues: Unkei and Kaikei (1203)
Culturally Specific Time Period
Nara Period (710 to 794)
Geo-Location
34.68584401252429, 135.83987549020492
Materials
Wood, Metal (Copper,Iron) , Stone,
Size and/or Scale of Building
25 Meters High. eighteen 21 meter tall wooden pillars.
Statues: 8.4 meters in height, wood.
Statues: 8.4 meters in height, wood.
Architectural Type
Religious
Formal Style
25.46 meters tall
Building Description
A colossal wooden gate, one of the biggest in all Japan, that functions as the southern threshold into the todai-ji complex. Ancient wooden pillars form three gates into the complex, these entrances are flanked by the guardian kings. Two statues in the alcoves on either side of the temple facing the entrance. Above is the double tiered slopped roof in a style inspired by Chinese Song Dynasty architecture.
Image source
Image 1: IMG_17168.PNG
Image 2: IMG_1771.PNG
Image 3: IMG_1773.JPG
Image 2: IMG_1771.PNG
Image 3: IMG_1773.JPG
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Me
Image 2: Me
Image 3: Me
Image 2: Me
Image 3: Me
Student First and Last Name
Waldemar Barrios
Citation
Edict: Emperor Shoumu (741 -752), Rebuilt: Chougen (1203), and Statues: Unkei and Kaikei (1203), “Great South Gate,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/185.
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