Wooden Million Tier Tower

An Empress's Six-Year Project

Drawing inspiration from the Mukujōkō Daidaranikyō (the Sutra on the Pure Light Dharani), which teaches that the construction of pagodas brings spiritual merit, the Empress ordered exactly one million wooden three-storied pagodas to be carved, each containing a printed dharani scroll. The vast project took roughly six years and was completed in 770, just before the Empress's death. According to the imperial chronicle Shoku Nihongi, the pagodas were then distributed to ten great temples of the time, with one hundred thousand allotted to each.

Ten Temples, One Million Prayers

The ten recipient temples included Daian-ji, Gangō-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Hōryū-ji, Gufuku-ji (Kawahara-dera), Shitennō-ji, and Sūfuku-ji — a roll-call of the most important Buddhist institutions of the Nara capital and surrounding regions. Of the original one million, only the set bestowed upon Hōryū-ji has survived in any quantity. Today, more than 45,000 pagodas remain in the temple's care, while a small number have travelled to museums in Japan and around the world.

The World's Oldest Verifiable Printed Text

The dharani scrolls inside the pagodas are universally cited as the oldest surviving printed documents whose date can be confirmed by historical record. Whether produced from woodblocks or copper plates is still debated by scholars, but the printing technology demonstrates that Japan was already capable of producing texts in industrial quantities by the late 8th century — an extraordinary fact in the history of world printing.

A Window into Nara-Period Craftsmanship

Each pagoda was lathe-turned from a single piece of cypress wood, with the body and the spire carved separately and then assembled. The standard pagoda stands about 21.4 centimetres tall with a base diameter of roughly 10.5 centimetres. Many pagodas carry inked inscriptions on their bases recording the date of manufacture and the name of the artisan, allowing modern researchers to identify nearly two hundred craftsmen who participated in the project. This is a rare and precious window into the organisation of state-sponsored workshops in the Nara period.

A Symbol of State Buddhism

The Hyakumantō also embody the close relationship between the Nara court and Buddhism, expressed through the doctrine of chingo kokka — the protection of the state through Buddhist ritual. To complete one million pagodas in just six years required not only deep faith but an organised national workforce, a striking demonstration of the political and religious power of 8th-century Japan.

The Three Tiers and the Hidden Cavity

The body of each pagoda is sculpted into a delicately tapered three-tiered form, while above it rises a slender spire with rings, jewels, and lotus petals. Hidden within the body is a cylindrical cavity into which the dharani scroll was inserted — sealed by the spire acting as a stopper. This compact design embodies the spiritual idea that the smallest object can contain immense power.

The Variations: Marker Pagodas

While most of the surviving pagodas are standard three-tiered forms, the project included larger marker pagodas to commemorate every ten thousand and every one hundred thousand pieces produced. The seven-tiered ichimansettō stands roughly 50 centimetres tall, and the thirteen-tiered jūmansettō roughly 60 centimetres. Both rare types are preserved at Hōryū-ji and offer a thrilling sense of the project's monumental scale.

The Dharani Scrolls

Four kinds of dharani were printed for the project: the konpon, sōrin, jishin'in, and rokudo dharani, each varying in length. Surviving scrolls are made of mulberry-fibre paper or hemp paper, often dyed with kihada, a yellow dye believed to repel insects. To stand before a 1,250-year-old printed scroll is to glimpse the very origins of mass communication in Japan.

Getting to Hōryū-ji

Hōryū-ji is easily reached from both Nara and Osaka. From JR Hōryūji Station, it is about a 20-minute walk to the south gate, or a short ride on the local bus to the Hōryū-ji Sandō stop. From Nara Station and Kyoto, direct trains and buses run regularly. The temple opens daily, with seasonal opening hours that extend a little later in summer than in winter.

What to Visit Nearby

• Hokki-ji: a small temple just to the east of Hōryū-ji whose three-storied pagoda is jointly inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
• Chūgū-ji: adjacent to Hōryū-ji's eastern precinct, famous for its wooden Bodhisattva of the Asuka period.
• Hōrin-ji: a quiet temple north of Hōryū-ji whose three-storied pagoda was reconstructed in the 20th century.
• Fujinoki Tomb: a 6th-century burial mound a short walk from Hōryū-ji where richly decorated grave goods were discovered.
• Ikaruga Cultural Properties Centre: a small museum exhibiting items related to the area's long Buddhist heritage.

Best Times to Visit

Spring brings cherry blossoms framing the temple gates, while autumn turns the surrounding hills into a tapestry of red and gold. Mornings are particularly tranquil — the soft light filtering into the Daihōzōin lends the small white pagodas an almost luminous quality.