National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties · Nara

Horyuji Temple Western Precinct Earthen Walls

Horyuji Western Precinct Earthen Walls: 538 m of Genroku-Era Boundary

The Horyuji Temple Western Precinct Earthen Walls, mostly rebuilt in 1697, run about 538 m in three sections linking the great gates; part of the west wall is older.

Designation National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties

Location Nara

The walls around the Western Precinct

The Horyuji Temple Western Precinct Earthen Walls (法隆寺西院大垣, Hōryū-ji Sai-in Ōgaki) in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, are earthen walls enclosing the Western Precinct, mostly rebuilt in 1697, and were designated an Important Cultural Property on June 9, 1943. The south, east and west sections count as one designation of three structures.

The south wall runs 208.7 meters east and 103.8 meters west of the Great South Gate. The east wall runs 86.4 meters south of the Great East Gate and 63.5 meters north with a turn. The west wall runs 69.8 meters south of the West Gate with a turn and 6.2 meters north. Together they come to about 538 meters, all with tiled coping.

Genroku rebuilding, Muromachi survivals

According to the national database, the south and east walls and the stretch either side of the West Gate date from 1697, while the southern part of the west wall goes back to the Muromachi period, between 1333 and 1572. The Horyuji Western Precinct walls were not built at one go but stitched together from different eras.

The Eastern Precinct walls were put in order in 1696, so the temple's entire perimeter seems to have been overhauled in the Genroku era.

The line between outside and in

An earthen wall is rammed earth topped by a small tiled roof, a high-status boundary used for temples and palaces. The Horyuji Western Precinct walls link the Great South Gate, Great East Gate and West Gate into a clear line between the temple and the world outside.

Stand before the Great South Gate and you see the wall stretching away on both sides, dividing the pine-lined approach from the grounds. That long level line of tiles is the first thing you read, before any hall or pagoda.

Visiting

The walls can be seen freely from outside and inside the grounds. Look both ways from the Great South Gate, then head round by the Great East Gate to see the east wall turning north.

Name	Horyuji Temple Western Precinct Earthen Walls (Hōryū-ji Sai-in Ōgaki)
Location	Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture
Designation	Important Cultural Property
Year Designated	1943/6/9 (Showa 18)
Quantity	3 structures (south, east and west)
Dimensions	South: 208.7 meters east and 103.8 meters west of the Great South Gate; east: 86.4 meters south and 63.5 meters north (with a turn) of the Great East Gate; west: 69.8 meters south (with a turn) and 6.2 meters north of the West Gate. Earthen walls, tile coping
Owner	Horyuji Temple
Public Access	Exterior only (viewable inside and outside the grounds)

Horyuji Temple Western Precinct Earthen Walls

The walls around the Western Precinct

Genroku rebuilding, Muromachi survivals

The line between outside and in

Visiting

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