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  • UNESCO

The world’s oldest wooden building

September 16, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 47 Comments

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Horyuji Temple near Nara, Japan

Horyuji Temple is the oldest wooden building in the world and one of the oldest temples in Japan. It’s no wonder it was Japan’s first World Heritage Site!

Have you ever wondered where the oldest wooden building in the world is? I know it’s a question that has kept me awake many a night 🙂

But don’t fear, today I have the answer.

It’s likely you will visit the ancient capital of Nara if you do a trip to Japan (and I’ve got some suggestions for tours to get more out of your trip:)

While you’re here, you don’t need to go far from Nara, in the Kansai region, to reach a temple complex called Horyuji.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

In some ways, it’s in the middle of nowhere – the town around it is nothing to speak of, just an uninspiring mix of shops, homes and vending machines.

But the jewel in this town is the temple complex which holds inside it some of Japan’s most important national treasures.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

The five-storey pagoda and the main hall were both originally built around the year 600AD but after a fire were rebuilt around the year 700AD. 26 other building in the complex were built before 800AD.

All of them together are undisputed as the oldest wooden buildings in the world – the pagoda, being the first built, would take out the title for the absolute oldest.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda
horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

You have to remember that this is all happening during a period of the world’s history that is hard to imagine for us today.

Mohammed is walking the earth; the Mayan civilisation is flourishing in South America; and the Anglo-Saxons are taking control of Britain after the fall of the Roman empire.

Meanwhile the Japanese are building wooden temples that are still standing more than 1300 years later!

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda
horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

While Islam is spreading across the Middle East and North Africa, and Christianity is battling for supremacy in Europe, Buddhism makes its way from China to Japan.

These buildings at Horyuji are also considered to be the first Buddhist monuments in Japan and had a huge influence on religious architecture for the centuries to come.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

They were able to be built because of the support of a man called Prince Shotoku, who was considered to be a great statesman and a founder of Buddhism in Japan.

The story of how Horyuji Temple came to be is engraved on the back of the halo of the Yakushi Nyorai Buddha statue, which is in the temple’s main hall.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

Horyuji may not be as famous as the nearby temples in Nara or Kyoto.

It’s strange, in some ways, because it is a much more important site. In fact, Horyuji contains over 2,300 important cultural and historical structures and other items.

It is more than just a collection of temples – it is a library or a gallery of the story of Buddhism in Japan.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

Perhaps part of the problem is that Horyuji doesn’t have the same striking views from the top of a mountain, or pink cherry blossom framings, that you can find in Kyoto or Nara.

But there’s a reason this was the first site in Japan to be recognised by UNESCO and included on the World Heritage List. When you visit and see it for yourself, I promise you’ll start to appreciate the significance.

horyuji, japan, world's oldest wooden building, near nara, temple, history, world heritage, pagoda

On the day I visit, there are more Japanese school groups than foreign tourists here. Perhaps it’s not that well-known internationally.

It’s not normally on the front page of the cultural brochures but, without what it represents, those pages might be empty.

Visiting Horyuji Temple

It’s actually really hard to find a guided tour that will take you to Horyuji so I don’t have any specific ones to recommend, I’m afraid.

However, I assume you’ll also be interested in seeing other parts of Nara, and this tour is a great choice. Have a look at these options too:

But, don’t worry, you can visit Horyuji Temple independently quite easily.

Where is Horyuji Temple?

Horyuji Temple is about 12 kilometres southwest of Nara and about 30 kilometre east of Osaka.

You can see it on a map here.

How do you get to Horyuji Temple?

It’s very easy to get to Horyuji Temple by public transport. To get to Horyuji station, it’s 13 minutes from Nara station or 30 minutes from Osaka station on the JR Yamatoji Line.

From Horyuji station, it’s an easy 15 minute walk, or the NC bus will take just 5 minutes.

When is Horyuji Temple open?

From February 22 until November 3, Horyuji Temple is opne from 8:00 – 17:00.
From November 4 until February 21, it is open from 08:00 – 16:30.

How much does it cost to visit Horyuji Temple?

A full admission ticket is ¥1500 (US$13.30) and a concession ticket is ¥750 (US$6.65).

More information

For more information, you can visit the temple’s official website.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN NARA

The Japanese heritage of Ancient Nara can be found in a lot of the city’s authentic accommodation options.

BACKPACKER

For a budget option, Nara Guesthouse Kamunabi has comfortable beds and a lovely common area.

BUDGET

An affordable hotel option is NARA Visitor Center and Inn in the centre of town.

BOUTIQUE

For something a bit special, Onyado Nono Nara Natural Hot Spring has an onsen in the hotel.

LUXURY

And if you’re looking for a luxury option, the Nara Hotel is probably the best in the city!

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more info click here. You can see all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve visited here.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Rease |

    May 4, 2013 at 1:26 am

    Reply

    You are always good for a history lesson. Great photos!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 11, 2013 at 3:03 am

      Reply

      Thanks, Rease. I’ve never been much of a history buff previously but I’m loving learning this kind of thing and being able to share it.

  2. T.W. Anderson @ Marginal Boundaries |

    May 4, 2013 at 9:30 am

    Reply

    Good deal about getting there on a day when it was more about students than tourists…I think it’s always a better exploration when you aren’t surrounded by too many others who are there for photos/etc. More private.

    Great stuff, as always….love the structures….can’t wait to get to Japan!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 11, 2013 at 3:06 am

      Reply

      The structures are beautiful, aren’t they? Japan’s got so many gorgeous places like this to discover.

    • Lorrie |

      November 21, 2019 at 8:53 am

      Reply

      Great and interesting read. Do you have more information on the buildings builders and architecture design? Thanks

  3. Bama |

    May 10, 2013 at 12:31 am

    Reply

    Absolutely amazing how a wooden structure more than 13 centuries old still stand elegantly. I know that there are a lot of old wooden structures in Japan, but I never thought that some are that old.

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 11, 2013 at 3:45 am

      Reply

      I know – I was astounded when I saw the date. Could hardly believe it, in fact.

  4. Illumi |

    June 19, 2013 at 11:22 am

    Reply

    Never thought there are wooden building that’s old.

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 23, 2013 at 1:19 am

      Reply

      It’s hard to believe that it’s survived, isn’t it?

  5. Kevin |

    January 31, 2014 at 1:24 am

    Reply

    The 3 storied pagoda of Hokki-ji, about 15/20 min. walk north of Horyu-ji, is a bit older than any of the structures at Horyu-ji. The difference is that it has never burned down, so it has been standing since the temple was first built in the Asuka period.

    • Michael Turtle |

      February 10, 2014 at 4:11 pm

      Reply

      Thanks for the comment, Kevin. I had a look into this and most of the things I’ve read say the pagoda at Horyu-ji was founded first. But, you’re right, they were both built at pretty much the same time (within a few decades of each other) and I guess it’s hard for people to be certain exactly – especially when there were fires and reconstructions.

  6. mantu ghosh |

    March 21, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    Reply

    The heritage building is beautiful and i want to know which wood is made for building the wooden heritage building

    • Michael Turtle |

      April 12, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      Reply

      A good question – and also a complicated one because there isn’t one simple answer. However, it’s beleived the main timber used is cypress.

  7. Alexander |

    June 13, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Reply

    Amazing i’m in love with Japan i don’t know even why and i want to visit there next year (i’m live in Israel) and you giving a good advices for me thank you 🙂

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 13, 2015 at 2:11 pm

      Reply

      There’s lots to see in Japan. Try to give yourself as long as possible and get to some of the areas outside of Tokyo and Osaka. Hokkaido would be really interesting, for instance.

  8. archer |

    April 10, 2016 at 10:27 pm

    Reply

    i think there is a common misunderstanding, Horu-ji is one of oldest wooden structure around, but certainly not the oldest. it is not fully constructed in wood, yet with clay and others. but pagoda of fogong temple in Shanxi, China was of wood structure through the whole building. it has a fine line to this categorization. hope this comment would help to clarify. Thanks.

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 28, 2017 at 1:21 pm

      Reply

      Thanks for the extra info, Archer. I think, like many of these things, you can find a justification for whichever place you want. It’s rarely a simple answer to things like ‘the oldest’ or the ‘most authentic’ or anything like that. I’ll have to try to get to Shanxi to see this other temple, though!

  9. CSU Graduate |

    September 6, 2016 at 7:43 am

    Reply

    Michael you didn’t go to Charles Sturt Bathurst around 2001-ish did you?

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 28, 2017 at 1:22 pm

      Reply

      Yes, I did!

  10. Krishan |

    September 6, 2016 at 8:42 am

    Reply

    * Not far from
    2nd paragraph, 1st line.

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 28, 2017 at 1:21 pm

      Reply

      Thanks very much. Fixed that typo now! 🙂

  11. Ron Tully |

    June 28, 2017 at 8:50 pm

    Reply

    I love japan. Japanese architecture is a mixture of amazing precision and skills to do the building properly. It withstands earthquakes and so that is amazing because it is still standing for how many years. That building doesn’t use nails but still it is one of the oldest and strongest type of building. Their genius and capability to that amazing art is phenomenal

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 28, 2017 at 1:22 pm

      Reply

      It’s really impressive, isn’t it? You wonder how they were able to make such stable structures so long ago!

  12. christian jay morales |

    August 28, 2017 at 9:25 am

    Reply

    Great

  13. Mike |

    December 11, 2017 at 1:27 pm

    Reply

    Hi, your contact us section isn’t working, tells me that my email address is not valid.
    Do you know what timber the temple is built with, a species of pine perhaps? Obviously very durable, must be one of the reasons for the longevity of the building, I guess the climate is also suitable.

  14. Roger Wilde, Kyoto |

    January 13, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    Reply

    Went out on my bike this morning to Koryu-ji, to see Kyoto oldest building, apparently the second oldest in Japan. Back home I searched for the world’s oldest, and found your enthusiastic and informative post. Thanks! I
    love seeing and touching all the old wooden buildings around Kyoto. Incredible that they survived fires and wats and all else in hundreds of years of history. As you say, hard to imagine the context in which these things were built.

  15. Suzanne |

    March 8, 2018 at 3:10 am

    Reply

    Love the placement in history- in worldwide context.

    • Michael Turtle |

      March 9, 2018 at 9:25 am

      Reply

      Thanks for the comment, Suzanne! One of the nice things about seeing so many historical buildings around the world is that I am able to try to give a little but of context.

  16. bt |

    March 17, 2018 at 8:00 am

    Reply

    very good good info

  17. laxman prasad bashyal |

    July 21, 2018 at 5:35 am

    Reply

    Model of world’s oldest wooden craft!Japan is showing the world that development and historical preservation can go together. If you dont believe have a trip to japan and see the example,Horyuji!

  18. Irene Tulip |

    July 5, 2019 at 5:49 am

    Reply

    Thanks for the infoLove hearing about these sorts of places that are not on the tour circuit We are going in Oct Thanks from Australia

  19. Mellisa Brown |

    March 31, 2020 at 7:10 am

    Reply

    Timbers that grow in the northern slopes of a mountain were used on the northern side of a building and timbers grew on the south sides were used on the south side. This made the wood more “immune” to the impacts of the direction they were growing in.

  20. Joe Posner |

    August 3, 2020 at 7:13 am

    Reply

    Hi Mr. Turtle:
    What kind of wood is it made of, and what are its dimemnsions?
    Best travels,
    Joe P.

  21. Zac |

    October 29, 2020 at 9:10 pm

    Reply

    I’m surprised it’s not more popular but maybe that will help preserve it for another 1300 years!
    Japanese use of timber is truly remarkable, I really look forward to exploring this site and as many other traditional buildings as I can when I make it there.

  22. David Biggs |

    August 26, 2021 at 5:52 am

    Reply

    The temple is exemplary but the Midas Tomb in Turkey (Yassihoyuk…near ancient Gordion) is a timber tomb constructed c. 700 BC and is the oldest known intact timber structure. Basically a log cabin structure built for King Midas’ father. See https://www.livius.org/articles/place/gordium/gordium-tomb-of-midas/

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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