The Yakushi-ji Temple’s East Pagoda in Nara City is a national treasure. Among several structures remaining in the precincts of the temple, this is the only structure constructed during the Nara period (Tenpyou era). It is a total of 34.1 meters high (including “Sourin,” which is the metal pinnacle on the top of the pagoda). Yakushi-ji Temple’s is the fourth highest pagoda after Tou-ji Temple, Koufuku-ji Temple, and Daigo-ji Temple, all of which were built before the Edo period. However, it is structurally a three-story pagoda compared to the other five-story temples, because the first, third, and fifth roofs from the base are “Mokoshi” (meaning “pent roof”). This pagoda boasts an incomparable elaborate design among Buddhist pagoda architecture. Openwork carving of the statue of a Flying Apsara was applied to the bronze “Suien” (Water Flame) decorating the Sourin on the top of the pagoda, and this conveys the outstanding craftsmanship of the Nara period to present generations.

This is a painting of The Yakushi-ji Temple’s East Pagoda. Often depicted in landscape painting, something about pagodas and temples pulls strongly at people’s emotions. Tatsurou Shima probably felt that intuitively, too.