290px, Model of Yamada-dera Temple at the time of its construction. A part of the 1/1000 model of Fujiwara-kyo in the Kashihara-shi Fujiwara-kyo reference room. was a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

established in the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

in Sakurai,

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

, Japan. The area was

designated Designation (from Latin ''designatio'') is the process of determining an incumbent's successor. A candidate that won an election, for example, is the ''designated'' holder of the office the candidate has been elected to, up until the candidate's ...

a National Historic Site in 1921, with its status elevated to a Special National Historic Site in 1952. It also forms part of a grouping of sites submitted in 2007 for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological sites of Japan’s Ancient Capitals and Related Properties. Excavations in the 1980s uncovered a well-preserved section of the temple's covered corridors that predate the surviving buildings of

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in Ikaruga, Nara, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Built shortly after Buddhism was introduced to Japan, it is also one of the oldest Buddh ...

: "for the history of

Japanese architecture has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors ('' fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space ...

, this discovery is of as great moment as the finding of the seventh-century

Takamatsuzuka tomb The is an Asuka period burial mound, located in the village of Asuka, Nara in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1972. History The tumulus was discovered October 1970 when villagers ...

paintings in March 1972 was for the history of

Japanese art Japanese art consists of a wide range of art styles and media that includes Jōmon pottery, ancient pottery, Japanese sculpture, sculpture, Ink wash painting, ink painting and Japanese calligraphy, calligraphy on silk and paper, Ukiyo-e, paint ...

History

Yamada-dera was established as a private temple by

Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro (died 649) was a member of the Soga clan and first holder of the office of udaijin (Minister of the Right). He was the son of Soga no Kuramaro and grandson of Soga no Umako; his daughter was married to Prince Naka-no-Ōe. After the fall of Sog ...

. After drainage of the site, work began on the

Kondō Kondō, Kondo or Kondou (近藤 "near wisteria") is a surname prominent in Japanese culture, although it also occurs in other countries. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese ballet dancer *, man known for marrying a fictional vocal ...

and surrounding corridors in 641. Although a member of the

Soga clan The was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups Uji (clan), (''uji'') of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato period, Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Through the 5th and ...

, he was hostile to the main branch of the clan led by

Soga no Emishi was a statesman of the Yamato imperial court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father. According to th ...

and

Soga no Iruka (died July 10, 645) was the son of Soga no Emishi, a statesman in the Asuka Period of Japan. He was assassinated at court in a coup d'état involving Nakatomi no Kamatari and Prince Naka-no-Ōe (see: Isshi Incident), who accused him of tryi ...

. He conspired with

Nakatomi no Kamatari , also known as , was a Japanese politician and aristocrat who, together with Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji), carried out the Taika Reform. He was the founder of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family in Japan durin ...

and

Prince Naka-no-Ōe , known first as and later as until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, and ...

in the

Isshi incident The was a successful plot by Nakatomi no Kamatari ( Fujiwara no Kamatari), Prince Naka no Ōe and others who conspired to eliminate the main branch of the Soga clan, beginning with the assassination of Soga no Iruka. It takes its name from th ...

of 645. However, four years later in 649, per the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'', Soga no Hyuga, Ishikawa no maro's half-brother, informed Prince Naka-no-Ōe that Ishikawa no Maro was plotting rebellion. When confronted, Ishikawa no Maro did not resist, but instead committed suicide in front of the Kondō of Yamada-dera along with his family. The '' Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu'', a biography of

Shōtoku Taishi Shōtoku may refer to: * Prince Shōtoku , also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Has ...

, documents renewed construction at the site from 663 with the erection of a pagoda, after Prince Naka-no-Ōe, who had married one of the Ishikawa no Maro's daughters, had ascended the throne as

Emperor Tenchi , known first as and later as until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, and ...

; this building was completed by 676. The ''uragaki'' or notes to ''Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu'' mention the eye-opening ceremony of a sixteen-foot Buddha in the temple's Lecture Hall in 685. The ''Nihon Shoki'' records a visit by

Emperor Temmu was the 40th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. He ascended ...

a few months later to the temple of Jōdo-ji, identified by

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...

Asuka-dera , also known as , is a Buddhist temple located in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It currently belongs to the Shingon-shū Buzan-ha sect. Asuka-dera is regarded as one of the oldest temples in Japan. Its precincts were designat ...

but now thought to refer to Yamada-dera. In the following decade,

Emperor Mommu The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

granted lands to support the temple.

Subsequent developments

Records of the temple in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

are scarce, but it is known that Fujiwara no Michinaga visited Yamada-dera in 1023 and expressed admiration for the according to the . However, by the end of the following century the Kondō and pagoda had burned and, according to the , the temple had become a branch of Tōnomine-dera (today's Tanzan Jinja). In 1187, warrior-monks from

Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. It is part of Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a World Heritage Site. H ...

attacked Yamada-dera, and stole the ''

honzon , sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon ( or ), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan. The image can be either a statue ...

'' of the Lecture Hall, a Yakushi Nyōrai triad, and made it the principal image of the East Kondō of Kōfuku-ji. Excavations have confirmed that the Kondō, pagoda, and lecture hall were burned down at the end of the 12th century, and it is believed that they were burned down during this incident. At that time, Kofuku-ji was in the process of being rebuilt after having been burned down by

Taira no Shigehira (1158–1185) was one of the sons of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira Clan's chief commanders during the Heian period of the 12th century of Japan. Famous battles Following the Battle of Uji (1180), Battle of Uji in 1180, Shigehira fo ...

during the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

of 1180. The Yakushi Nyōrai statue stolen from Yamada-dera was destroyed in a fire in the East Kondō in 1411, and only the head survived, which was placed inside the base of the newly constructed principal image. The existence of this Buddha head was unknown until it was rediscovered in 1937. The two attendant statues,

Nikkō Bosatsu is a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city's population was 80,239, in 36,531 households. The population density was 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Nikkō is a popular destination for Japanese and international to ...

and

Gakkō Bosatsu Candraprabha (lit. 'Moonlight', zh, 月光菩薩, link=no; pinyin: ''Yuèguāng Púsà''; Rōmaji: ''Gakkō or Gekkō Bosatsu'') is a bodhisattva often seen with Sūryaprabha, as the two siblings serve Bhaiṣajyaguru. Statues of Candrapr ...

, which were also stolen, are still in good condition in the East Kondō of Kōfuku-ji, and are designated as Important Cultural Properties, whereas the Yakushi Nyorai head is designated a

National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

. After this incident, Yamada-dera seems to have fallen into disrepair.

Later history

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

documents indicate that the temple was involved in a land dispute in 1279, confirming that the temple still existed during this period. Excavations have unearthed

roof tile Roof tiles are overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out precipitation such as rain or snow, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay or slate. Later tiles have been made from materials such as concrete, glass ...

s from the Kamakura to

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

s, indicating that the temple was rebuilt on the site of the lecture hall. As a tile with name "Kōfuku-ji" written on it has been excavated, it is believed to have been a branch temple of Kōfuku-ji. In the grounds of the current Yamada-dera are a number of stone monuments bearing inscriptions from the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. Yamada-dera was completely abandoned at the start of the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

due to the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

's anti-Buddhist ''

Haibutsu kishaku (literally "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni") is a term that indicates a current of thought continuous in Japan's history which advocates the expulsion of Buddhism from Japan.Hossō-shū and its ''

'' is a statue of Jūichimen-Kannon thought to have been made in the late

. Many of the foundation stones of the original temple were looted for use in gardens, and one is located at the

Fujita Art Museum The is one of the largest private collections in the Kansai region. The collection was assembled by Fujita Denzaburō and his descendants. It was installed in a storehouse on the family property in Osaka. Opened to the public in 1954, the coll ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. In 1975, the government purchased the site and developed it into a historic park in 2001.

Architecture

Excavations of the site by the

Nara Research Institute for Cultural Properties The , also known by its former name, the Nara Research Institute for Cultural Properties, is one of two research institutes that comprise the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, an independent administrative institution created in 2001. Es ...

from 1976 have revealed the plan of the complex. The main temple buildings were arranged along a central north-south axis, with the

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

opening through the covered corridors and leading to the

pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...

, standing in front of the

; thus far the plan was the same as at

Shitennō-ji Shitennō-ji (, ''Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings'') is a Buddhist temple in Ōsaka, Japan. It is also known as Arahaka-ji, Nanba-ji, or Mitsu-ji. The temple is sometimes regarded as the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered templ ...

, but unlike that temple, the

kōdō is the art of appreciating Japanese incense, and involves using incense within a structure of codified conduct. ''Kōdō'' includes all aspects of the incense process, from the , to activities such as the incense-comparing games and . ''Kōdō ...

or lecture hall was outside this inner precinct, behind the rear arcade. The pillars of the 3x3

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

gate were sunk directly into the ground, rather than their being supported on base stones; similar sunken pillars may be found at

Ise Jingū The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shin ...

. The central pillar of the 3x3 bay pagoda rested on a base stone a metre below the podium on which it stood, as in the later examples at

and Hōrin-ji. The base stones, uniquely carved with

lotus Lotus or LOTUS may refer to: Plants * List of plants known as lotus, a list of various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: **''Nelumbonaceae'', a single-genus family of aquatic flowering plants, consisting of just two species; ...

petals, of the kondō reveal a 3x2 bay central core or '' moya'' and unusually narrow side bays. The base stones of the 8x4 bay lecture hall include holes bored for swing doors. The precinct itself extended 22 bays east to west, some eighty-four metres between the outer walls. In the 1982 phase, at a depth of 2.2 meters, a large number of tiles were discovered from the site of the east corridor, including circular

eave The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

-end tiles of the "Yamada-dera type", deeply moulded, with eight double lotus petals and a ring of six seeds around the centre. Beneath, a 1.7 bay section of the wooden outer wall was uncovered, including base stones with lotus designs; columns, with marked

entasis In architecture, entasis is the application of a convex curve to a surface for aesthetic purposes, or increasing strength. Its best-known use is in certain orders of Classical columns that diminish in a very gentle curve, rather than in a straig ...

; base and head penetrating tie-beams; middle non-penetrating tie-beams; latticed windows; sections of

lath A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work. ''Lath'' has expanded to mean any type of backing m ...

for plastering; and bracket blocks. Additional elements discovered the following year include bracket arms, rainbow beams, rafters and

purlins A purlin (or historically purline, purloyne, purling, perling) is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin. P ...

. Traces of red paint on the timbers and fragments of plaster were also uncovered. Further discoveries in 1984 included better-preserved windows and ground plates and pivot blocks for doors. The pillars are of

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...

other than one of

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

, perhaps an historic repair; the other elements are largely of cypress, although one

zelkova ''Zelkova'' (from the Georgian language, Georgian ''dzelkva'', 'stone pillar') is a genus of six species of deciduous trees in the elm family Ulmaceae, native to southern Europe, and southwest and eastern Asia. They vary in size from shrubs (''Ze ...

tie-beam again seems to be evidence of an historic repair; some of the wall laths are of pine.

Statuary

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

Buddha head, tentatively identified as that of

Yakushi Bhaiṣajyaguru (, zh, t= , , , , ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"; zh, t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來, , , ), is the Buddha of healing and medicine i ...

, is the sole surviving element of the principal triad of the former

Kōdō is the art of appreciating Japanese incense, and involves using incense within a structure of codified conduct. ''Kōdō'' includes all aspects of the incense process, from the , to activities such as the incense-comparing games and . ''Kōdō ...

or lecture hall. The statue group was

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

between 678 and 685. Appropriated by monks from Kōfuku-ji in the 1180s, it was moved to

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

and re-enshrined in Kōfuku-ji's East Kondō. Only the head survived destruction in the fire caused by a lightning strike in 1411. Subsequently deposited under the altar platform, it was rediscovered in 1937 and is now a

on view in the Kōfukuji National Treasure Museum. The work marks a watershed in the

periodization In historiography, periodization is the process or study of categorizing the past into discrete, quantified, and named blocks of time for the purpose of study or analysis.Adam Rabinowitz.It's about time: historical periodization and Linked Ancie ...

of Japanese Buddhist sculpture. It is a "document of stylistic transition, embodying the naiveté of Suiko faith, yet already swelling with the maturity of Tempyō". A statue depicting the Amida Triad with its base inscription 山田殿像 (Yamada-den-no-zō), originally from

has been attributed to have connections to Yamada-dera, though its true history remains uncertain. Currently at the

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...

, it is designated an Important Cultural Property.

Conservation

To avoid

anisotropic Anisotropy () is the structural property of non-uniformity in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. An anisotropic object or pattern has properties that differ according to direction of measurement. For example, many materials exhibit ver ...

shrinkage and cell collapse during the drying of the waterlogged wood recovered, the architectural members were treated with

polyethylene glycol Polyethylene glycol (PEG; ) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum with many applications, from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular wei ...

(PEG), a

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants like cott ...

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

used gradually to replace the water content before permanent hardening. This treatment methodology was introduced in the late 60s and early 70s in Denmark to conserve the

Skuldelev ships The Skuldelev ships are five original Viking ships recovered from the waterway of Peberrenden at Skuldelev, north of Roskilde in Denmark. In 1962, the remains of the submerged ships were excavated in the course of four months. The recovered piec ...

and in Sweden for the Vasa. In Japan it was used first on wooden tablets from

Gangō-ji 290px, Model of Gangō-ji in the Nara period; the temple at the top of the photo is Kofuku-ji 290px, Site of the Five-story Pagoda was one of the first Buddhist temples in Japan, and was ranked as one of the powerful Seven Great Temples ...

and then in 1972 on parts from the Kodera dam site in

Matsuyama 270px, Matsuyama City Hall 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, in Japan and is also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243,541 h ...

. Although this treatment is irreversible and leads to visual darkening, consolidation with PEG also makes the wood inedible thus helping prevent biodeterioration; since

Japanese Buddhist architecture Examples of Buddhist architecture in Japan Japanese Buddhist architecture is the architecture of Buddhist temples in Japan, consisting of locally developed variants of architectural styles born in China.p=716/ref> After Buddhism arrived from ...

makes use of

joinery Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives ...

rather than metal pins, the incompatibility of PEG with associated metal components was not a concern; PEG is the most common choice of consolidant for such applications, and has since been used on the

Bremen cog The Bremen cog is a well-preserved wreck of a cog dated to 1380, found in 1962 in Bremen. Today, it is displayed at the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven as one of the main features. Three nearly identical replicas of this cog have been built ...

and

Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' was a carrack in the English Tudor navy of Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII. She was launched in 1511 and served for 34 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in ...

. Since PEG has an

affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Pa ...

with water, it is necessary to maintain artefacts treated in this way in a stable low-humidity environment. Designated an Important Cultural Property, the excavated artefacts are now stored and displayed at the

Asuka Historical Museum The is a historical museum in Okuyama, Asuka, Nara, Asuka, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The museum was founded in 1975 and is a unit of the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. Collections The Asuka Historical Museum primarily p ...

References

External links

Yamada-dera(Asuka Historical Museum)

* ttp://ci.nii.ac.jp/ CiNii article finder (search term: 山田寺) {{Authority control Buddhist temples in Nara Prefecture Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan Special Historic Sites Buddhism in the Asuka period 641 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 640s 7th-century Buddhist temples 7th-century establishments in Japan Sakurai, Nara