Nara 奈良 Photo Gallery by Matthew Haswell at pbase.com

Nara 奈良

The first capital of Japan, once known as Heijō-kyō, where Sino-Korean influences and Buddhism first took root, Nara was originally modeled after Tang Dynasty Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). Its temples and shrines having commanded great power long after the transfer of the capital to Kyōto, Nara is now much-visited for its historic relics within and around Nara-kōen and the neighboring, old residential district of Nara-machi. Also included in this gallery are the temples of Hōryū-ji, Yakushi-ji and Tōshōdai-ji, all of which lie in the countryside to the west/southwest of Nara proper.

Other than the first six pictures, which date from August 2004, these shots were all taken in September 2008.

Nandaimon entrance to Hōryū-ji	Entering the main precinct of Hōryū-ji	Monk gesturing towards the main hall	Ablution font near Hōryū-ji's Chū-mon
Guardian with the Chū-mon	Five-storied pagoda beside the Kon-dō, Hōryū-ji	Pagoda detail, Hōryū-ji	Copper lantern with Chū-mon beyond
Path to the Tōin-garan (East Precinct) of Hōryū-ji	Yumedono in the Tōin-garan	Daikō-dō at Yakushi-ji	Detail of the west pagoda at Yakushi-ji
Kon-dō at Yakushi-ji	Copper lantern and Kon-dō	West pagoda	Rural surrounds of Yakushi-ji
Genjōsanzō-garan at Yakushi-ji	Kon-dō (Golden Hall) of Tōshōdai-ji	Kō-dō behind the Golden Hall, Tōshōdai-ji	Moss garden within the Tōshōdai-ji complex
Roof detail with ornamental bell on the Kon-dō	Tōdai-ji	Daibutsu-den	Niō guardian in Nandai-mon's right alcove
Deer by a shika-sembei vendor	Sniffing deer in Nara-kōen	Nanen-dō Hall	Nara's heritage train station
Old bank on Sanjō-dōri	Pavilion and stone pagoda on Sarusawa-ike	Three-tiered pagoda of Kōfuku-ji	Jizō statues, Kōfuku-ji
Stone lantern at Nanen-dō with Kōfuku-ji pagoda	Nanen-dō viewed through the trees	Stretch of grass with distant Kōfuku-ji pavilion	Kanen-dō and surrounding buildings
Five-tiered pagoda at Kōfuku-ji	Couple feeding a deer in Nara-kōen	Brutalist post-war Nara Prefecture Government Office	Foreign tourist feeding a large stag
Girl with parasol feeding the pushy stag	Shika sembei vendor and stag	Taunt the pack of deer	Nara National Museum
Modern eastern gallery of Nara National Museum	Tourists and deer herd on Ukigumo-enchi	The long approach to Tōdai-ji	Deer by a kakigōri (shaved ice) stand
Nandai-mon (Tōdai-ji's Great South Gate)	Niō guardian in the left flank of Nandai-mon	Tourists packing the path to Tōdai-ji	Doe on the path to Tōdai-ji
Tōdai-ji viewed from across the nearby pond	Inner gate of Tōdai-ji leading to the Daibutsu-den	Daibutsu-den viewed from the inner gate	Tōdai-ji's immense Daibutsu-den
Lighting incense before the Daibutsu-den	Main path to the Daibutsu-den	Daibutsu inside the hall	Golden Kokuuzo-bosatsu image
Crawling through the Hana-no-ana	Daibutsu-den seen from the southeast corner	Nigatsu-dō	Skyline of Nara with Daibutsu-den
Surrounds of Nigatsu-dō	Assorted lanterns at Nigatsu-dō	Deer grazing on the slope of Wakakusa-yama	Timid deer near the gate of the mountain park
Approach to Kasuga Taisha	Line of stone lanterns outside Kasuga Taisha	Row of copper lanterns, Kasuga Taisha	Copper lantern up close, Kasuga Taisha
Stone lanterns outside Kasuga Taisha	Array of various stone lanterns	Stone lantern detail	Lantern-lined path leading to the shrine
Heart-shaped omikuji at Kasuga Wakamiya-jinja	Shin Yakushi-ji	Frog kami with offering box	Japanese maple leaves against a vermilion pillar
Stone lantern and main hall of Shin Yakushi-ji	Ornate woodworking at Shin Yakushi-ji	Main gate, Shin Yakushi-ji	Ema (votive plaques) hung outside Shin Yakushi-ji

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