Taimadera Temple East Pagoda: A Late Nara-Period Three-Storied Pagoda
Taimadera Temple East Pagoda (當麻寺東塔, Taimadera Tōtō) is a late Nara-period three-storied pagoda at Taimadera in Taima, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, designated a National Treasure in 1952. The temple describes it as the oldest building surviving at Taimadera.
The Taimadera Temple East Pagoda stands on the rise southeast of the Golden Hall, paired with the West Pagoda to the southwest. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the compound the only place where both pagodas of an ancient east-west pair survive. No record gives the pagoda's date or history; the Agency places it in the late Nara period on the evidence of its style and workmanship.
Fewer Bays as It Rises: Three Below, Two Above
The feature that sets the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda apart is the number of bays on each story. The Agency notes that the first story is three bays square, but the second and third are only two. A three-bay face has a doorway in the middle; a two-bay face has a post there instead. Look up and you can see a column line running down the centre of each face from the second story upward.
The openings change too. On the first story each face has plank doors in the centre bay and blind lattice windows in the side bays. The upper stories have lattice windows only, with no doors at all. The West Pagoda, by contrast, keeps three bays and central doors on every story, so the two pagodas of the same temple are put together quite differently.
The bracket sets are of the three-stepped Mitesaki type, with no intermediate supports between the posts. The eaves project deeply, and from below you can follow the brackets stepping out in three tiers to carry them.
Eight Rings and a Fishbone Flame
The spire of the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda has eight rings, a point the Agency singles out. Most pagodas have nine, which Taimadera's Gonenin sub-temple explains are said to represent the five great Buddhas and four bodhisattvas. Why both pagodas here have eight remains unclear.
Near the top of the spire is the suien, the openwork "water flame" ornament. Gonenin notes that the East Pagoda's suien has a design resembling a fish skeleton, another of its defining features. The West Pagoda's suien uses an arabesque scroll instead, so the two finials repay a side-by-side look. Binoculars help, as the ornaments are high up.
A South-Facing Compound with an East Gate
The Agency explains that although Taimadera was built on hilly ground, its halls and pagodas were forced to face south, following the flat-site temple plans of the Nara period. The result is an irregular layout in which the main entrance is the east gate rather than a south gate.
The terrain is also why the pagodas stand on the southern slope, higher than the Golden Hall. Nakanobo, one of the sub-temples, says the temple's orientation later shifted from south to east as it was revived in the medieval period around devotion to the Taima Mandala. The south-facing Taimadera Temple East Pagoda preserves the compound as it was before that change.
Why the East Pagoda Is a National Treasure
The Taimadera Temple East Pagoda was first protected in 1897 under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law and became a National Treasure in 1952 under the present law. The Agency values it as a surviving example of a Nara-period three-storied pagoda.
Very few three-storied pagodas go back to the Nara period, and this one still has its early Heian partner on the same site. Add the unusual two-bay upper stories, the eight-ring spire and the fishbone suien, and it carries features found nowhere else.
Seeing the East Pagoda
The temple's visitor guide does not list the interior of the East Pagoda as open, so a visit centres on the exterior. The grounds are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and walking them is free.
To see the central post on the upper stories, step back from the front and look up. From around the front of the Main Hall the East and West Pagodas appear together on the hill to the south. The garden of the Gonenin sub-temple, Soto-en, takes its name from its view over both pagodas; it can be seen from inside Gonenin, which charges its own fee.
Ask at the Main Hall ticket desk about photography and other rules. Directions and fees for Taimadera as a whole are on the Taimadera page.
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Q&A
- When was the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda built?
- No record survives. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Nara period from its style and workmanship, and the temple describes it as its oldest building.
- Can I go inside the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda?
- The temple's visitor guide lists no interior viewing, so visitors see it from outside. The grounds are free to walk from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Why are the upper stories of the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda unusual?
- The first story is three bays square, but the second and third are only two, so a post stands in the middle of each face. The West Pagoda has three bays on every story.
- How does the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda differ from the West Pagoda?
- The East Pagoda is thought to be late Nara period, the West Pagoda early Heian. The East Pagoda has two-bay upper stories and a fishbone-like suien; the West Pagoda has three bays throughout and an arabesque suien. Both have eight-ring spires.
- Where can I see the Taimadera Temple East Pagoda and West Pagoda together?
- From around the front of the Main Hall, or from Soto-en, the garden of the Gonenin sub-temple, named for its view of both pagodas (Gonenin charges a separate fee).
Basic Information
| Name | Taimadera Temple East Pagoda (當麻寺東塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | Taima, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Treasure |
| Year Designated | 1952 (National Treasure); first protected in 1897 under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law |
| Quantity | 1 pagoda |
| Dimensions | 3 stories, hongawara tile roofs; first story 3 bays square, 2nd and 3rd stories 2 bays square |
| Owner | Taimadera Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the grounds (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., free); no interior viewing listed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taimadera East Pagoda
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2779
- Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taimadera East Pagoda
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/186926
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taimadera West Pagoda
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2780
- Taimadera Gonenin: The East Pagoda Seen from the Soto-en Garden
- https://taimadera-gonenin.or.jp/cate-gonenin/post-1561/
- Taimadera Nakanobo: Visitor Guide, Walking the Grounds
- https://taimadera.org/guide/3/index.html
- Taimadera Nakanobo: History of the Temple
- https://www.taimadera.org/history/index.html
- Katsuragi City: Taimadera Temple
- https://www.city.katsuragi.nara.jp/soshiki/shokokankoka/kankou/spot/6/3/2161.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
