On the Approach to the Todaiji Temple in Nara

Note: this article may not appear properly in news readers.

This article contains interactive aspects that are likely removed by most news readers. Please see this particular article directly on Jeffrey's blog for full functionality.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm — 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

This is the Small One

a gate on the approach to the Todaiji Temple (東大寺の南大門),

Nara, Japan

Dipping into the largely-untapped reservoir of things I want to post
about, here are some pictures from a December 2012 visit to the Todaiji Temple (東大寺)
in Nara, about an hour's train ride south of Kyoto. I posted a bit from that trip in
“That Massive Column in Nara’s Todaiji Temple Is Nothing To Sneeze At”,
but it's a visually rich place, so I've been wanting to post much more.

I'd made the trip to take some pictures for a friend who is the
author of Lonely
Planet's “Japan” guidebook. A few of the photos from this trip made it
into the most recent edition. Another friend, Aeron, was kind enough to
make the trek with me.

The Todaiji Temple site is impressively large, dating back almost 1,300
years. On the approach we took is a massive wooden gate that seems to exist
merely to set you up for the substantially-more-impressive sights that
wait beyond.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Todaiji in a Nutshell

deer, school kids, big wooden buildings

Looking through the gate you can see another behind, and beyond that the
temple's main building towers so high that you can't see the top of its
roof.

The gate, called the Great Southern Gate (南大門), is interesting enough
in its own right. It was originally built in 962, but the one standing
today is a reconstruction built just 815 years ago. (The sign near the top of
the photo is new, giving 「大華厳寺」, apparently an old name for the temple.)

Here's a shot exposed to reveal the detail under the roof:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5000 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Holding Up Well

for 815-year-old construction

As with many temple gates, two guardians flank the sides of the gate.
(Wikipedia tells me they're called Kongorikishi, and
describes them as “wrath-filled muscular guardians of the Buddha”). They're almost 25½ feet tall, so they're
almost 4½ times my height. Their situation is not conducive to good photos, but here's one:

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3600 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Wrath Filled and Muscular

The other statue, at my back while taking this shot, was carved in
1203. This one dates from the same era, though I couldn't find out for sure
what year this one was carved.

Here's a wigglegram to make you feel as if you're there; wiggle your mouse over the image...

div#dyjjSCRneRneddA img { width:380px; height:690px; visibility:hidden; position:absolute; top:0; left:0; border: solid 10px #311}



























Animatable — slowly sweep mouse from side to side to view effect
写真の上をマウスで左右にゆっくり動かすといろいろな影響を見えます。

1)return true;var x=Math.floor((e.clientX||e.pageX)/BW);if(X==0)X=x;else if(x!=X){var which=x>X?i+(x-X):i-(X-x);if(which>=I.length)which=I.length==2?0:I.length-1;else if(which

Moving then beyond the gate, you can see the next gate and, far beyond that, the roof of the main temple building...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/1600 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Locals

The deer in Nara can be extremely aggressive, and I can report from
personal experience that they have no qualms about coming up behind you to
bite the bag out of your hand if you just bought a snack from a vendor. Care
should be taken with fingers and small children.

Of course, tourist can't always provide breakfast, so some deer are forced to fend for themselves...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/1600 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Quick Breakfast








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Small Lake Along the Way
Desktop-Background Versions

1280×800  ·  1680×1050  ·  1920×1200  ·  2560×1600  ·  2880×1800








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Untamed

if they were tamed, they'd be giving the deer food









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/6.3, ISO 640 —
map & image data — nearby photos

In-Camera HDR

HDR was supposed to be this, but here it apparently means “Highly Distorted Reality”

Once you enter the paid area, your get your first clean view of the main
temple building, which is stupendously large for an all-wooden building
constructed hundreds of years ago....

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/400 sec, f/5, ISO 360 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Lots of Tiny Doors

that are actually each colossally large








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/1250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Incense Burner

there was one at either end of the long approach walkway








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Aeron and Incense Burner








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 160 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Not Too Crowded








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/3.5, ISO 1800 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Massively Overexposed By Accident

but sort of looks interesting in B&W









Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/2000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

False-Color Shot

playing around with this one, I colored the yellow/brown grass green








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Fire Extinguisher at the Ready








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/200 sec, f/10, ISO 250 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Roof Detail








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/16, ISO 1100 —
map & image data — nearby photos








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 —
map & image data — nearby photos

Lots of Detail

way up there








Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 320 —
map & image data — nearby photos

I See You

large incense burner just outside the entrance, opposite the one seen above

To be continued...