What happened in 752?

The Great Buddha's eye-opening ceremony

What guards the Nandaimon gate?

Two giant wooden guardian statues

Tōdai-ji Quiz: Nara's Great Buddha and Bowing Deer

This Tōdai-ji quiz enters the great wooden hall of Nara, Japan. Play 10 interactive questions on Emperor Shōmu, the Great Buddha's eye-opening in 752, the bronze statue's size, the Daibutsuden's long record as the largest wooden building, its smaller 1709 rebuild, the pillar hole as wide as a nostril, the Nandaimon guardians, bowing deer and UNESCO.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city is Tōdai-ji in?
Emperor
Which emperor commissioned the Great Buddha?
752
What happened in 752?
Statue
What is the Great Buddha made of?
Hall
What record did the Daibutsuden hold for centuries?
Rebuild
How does today's hall, rebuilt in 1709, compare to the original?
Pillar
What is the hole in one pillar said to match?
Gate
What guards the Nandaimon gate?
Deer
What do Nara's deer famously do?
UNESCO
When was Tōdai-ji listed with ancient Nara by UNESCO?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city is Tōdai-ji in?
Answer: Nara
Nara was Japan's capital in the 700s.
Q2: Which emperor commissioned the Great Buddha?
Answer: Emperor Shōmu
He hoped it would protect the country.
Q3: What happened in 752?
Answer: The Great Buddha's eye-opening ceremony
Monks came from across Asia.
Q4: What is the Great Buddha made of?
Answer: Bronze
It is about 15 meters tall seated.
Q5: What record did the Daibutsuden hold for centuries?
Answer: Largest wooden building in the world
Larger modern wooden buildings now exist.
Q6: How does today's hall, rebuilt in 1709, compare to the original?
Answer: It is about 30 percent smaller
Fires destroyed earlier halls.
Q7: What is the hole in one pillar said to match?
Answer: The size of the Buddha's nostril
Crawling through is said to bring blessings.
Q8: What guards the Nandaimon gate?
Answer: Two giant wooden guardian statues
They were carved in 1203.
Q9: What do Nara's deer famously do?
Answer: Bow to visitors for crackers
They are seen as sacred messengers.
Q10: When was Tōdai-ji listed with ancient Nara by UNESCO?
Answer: 1998
Several Nara temples are included.

The Great Buddha and Nara's Bowing Deer

Tōdai-ji in Nara was commissioned by Emperor Shōmu in the 700s, when Nara was Japan's capital. Its Great Buddha, a bronze statue about 15 meters tall seated, was dedicated in an eye-opening ceremony in 752 attended by monks from across Asia.

The Daibutsuden, the hall housing the Buddha, was for centuries the largest wooden building in the world. Fires destroyed earlier halls, and the current one, rebuilt in 1709, is about 30 percent smaller than the original. One pillar has a hole said to be the size of the Buddha's nostril, and visitors crawl through it for blessings.

The Nandaimon gate is guarded by two giant wooden guardians carved in 1203. Around the temple, sika deer roam Nara Park and bow to visitors offering special crackers; they are seen as sacred messengers. Tōdai-ji is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara UNESCO site.

What This Quiz Teaches

Japan fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built the temple
How big the Buddha is
What records the hall held
Which curiosities it holds
Which animals live nearby

Did You Know?

Nara has over a thousand wild deer.
Kasuga Taisha shrine has thousands of lanterns nearby.
The Shōsōin treasure house holds ancient objects.
Nara is an easy day trip from Kyoto and Osaka.
The Buddha's hands were recast in later centuries.