Emperor Shōmu

is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergone several reconstructions, including one initiated by Minamoto Yoritomo in 1181 (entrusted to Chogen, a monk of the Jodo sect) which included the standardization of existing buildings and the strengthening of visible pillars. Since then, one of the

Emperor of Japan

consort empress of Japan

type of temple in Japan

was the capital of Japan between 740 and 744, with its imperial palace (恭仁宮 Kuni-kyū or Kuni no miya) built in what is now the Kamo neighborhood of the city of Kizugawa in Kyoto Prefecture. The ruins of the palace overlap with the ruins of , and both were collectively designated as a National Historic Site of Japan in 1957, with the area under protection expanded in 2007.

Ebara-ji (家原寺) is a Buddhist temple in Nishi-ku, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is affiliated with Kōyasan Shingon-shū. The central icon is the Bodhisattva, Monju (Mañjuśrī).

right|thumb|from the picture album "Kannon Reigen ki"

building in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

The is a log of fragrant agarwood currently placed in the Shōsōin repository in the Tōdai-ji. The wood was first imported into Japan during the Nara period in the 8th century. It is considered a famous piece of incense wood due to its proximity and circumstance of the spread of Japanese Buddhism. It is claimed to have been placed in the repository by Empress Kōmyō in memory of Emperor Shōmu.