Gangō-ji

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**Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara**¹
**UNESCO World Heritage Site**
Gangoji Gokurakubo
State Party	Japan
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, iv, vi
Identification	#870
Region²	Asia-Pacific
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	1998 22nd WH Committee Session
WH link:	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/870
1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List 2 As classified officially by UNESCO

Gangō-ji (元興寺) is an ancient Buddhist temple, that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, in Nara, Japan.

[edit] History

The original foundation of the temple was in Asuka, by Soga no Umako. The temple was moved to Nara in 718, following the capital relocation to Heijō-kyō.

Gangō-ji initially held as much as seven halls and pagodas on its complex ground, which occupied a wide area within what is now Naramachi, the preserved district of modern Nara city. Most of the original architecture were, however, lost over time and notably in fires during the 15th and 19th centuries (Muromachi and Edo period respectively).^[1]

[edit] Architecture

The best preserved part of the temple is known as Gangō-ji Gokurakubō (元興寺極楽坊) and belongs to the Shingon-risshū school. This site is a part of a group of temples, shrines and other places in Nara that UNESCO has designated as a World Heritage Site, and holds three national treasures:

the Hondō (本堂, the main hall), or the Gokurakubō (極楽坊), which is one of the few well-preserved structure of the temple,
the Zen room
the miniature (5.5 meters tall) five-story pagoda

Most of the destroyed complex ground has altered and melted itself into parts of Naramachi over the course. Another small part of the temple remains today as the other Gangō-ji, of a Kegon school but with little remainders in terms of architecture.