Todaiji Temple held Great Buddha festival on 15 October

Todaiji Temple and its Great Buddha Autumn Festival brought a day of Buddhist ceremony and Noh theatre to Nara on 15 October 2026. The programme commemorated Emperor Shomu's eighth-century vow to create the Great Buddha, with events centred on the temple's main hall and Kagami-ike Pond.

Great Buddha Autumn Festival combined ceremony and Noh

The festival began at 10am with a Buddhist service in the Great Buddha Hall, followed by a tea offering to Vairocana Buddha by the Omotesenke school. The afternoon programme moved to a purpose-built stage at Kagami-ike Pond, where a celebratory Noh performance began at 1.30pm.

The official festival notice for 15 October listed the Noh programme as including the plays Funa-bashi and Ukifune, as well as the shorter performance Hanagatami. In wet weather, the theatre was to move to Kinsho Hall. The Noh performance was open without advance registration.

The ceremony had a direct effect on the main visitor experience. Seats were installed in front of the Great Buddha Hall's interior altar, so visitors could not worship directly before the statue from the hall's opening until the afternoon on 15 October.

Todaiji Temple's hall links the festival to 1,200 years of history

The festival's date refers to 15 October 743, when Emperor Shomu issued his proclamation for the construction of a Great Buddha. The temple's official history of the temple records that the Vairocana image was completed in 749 and dedicated in 752, after construction began in Nara.

The present Great Buddha Hall belongs to the Edo period and was dedicated in 1709 after earlier buildings had been destroyed by fire. The temple describes the hall as the world's largest wooden structure. Its official dimensions are 57.012 metres wide, 50.480 metres long and 48.742 metres high, while its central Vairocana Buddha is an eighth-century National Treasure.

That history gave the 15 October programme a precise architectural setting rather than a general anniversary. The morning service occupied the hall that houses the Buddha whose creation the festival commemorates, while the Noh performance used a separate pond-side stage within the temple precincts.

Visiting Todaiji Temple: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Great Buddha Autumn Festival took place on 15 October 2026, beginning at 10am in the Great Buddha Hall, with Noh theatre from 1.30pm at Kagami-ike Pond.
• Direct worship before the Great Buddha was restricted from the hall's opening until the afternoon during the service; the Noh performance moved indoors to Kinsho Hall if it rained.
• The temple is at 406-1 Zoshicho in Nara. The official event listing places the site near the Todaiji Daibutsuden and Kasuga Taisha-mae bus stop, which is served by the city loop bus from JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station.
• The main route leads through a large historic temple precinct and into the Great Buddha Hall. The hall contains a vast interior statue and a raised altar area, while Kagami-ike Pond is an outdoor performance setting.
• Japanese is the official language and the national currency is the Japanese yen.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Todaiji Temple

When did the Great Buddha Autumn Festival take place at Todaiji Temple?

The festival took place on 15 October 2026. The Buddhist service began at 10am, followed by Noh theatre from 1.30pm.

What changed for visitors at Todaiji Temple on 15 October?

Visitors could not worship directly before the Great Buddha from the hall's opening until the afternoon because ceremony seating occupied the front of the hall.

Where is Todaiji Temple and how do you get there?

The temple is in Zoshicho, Nara, near the Todaiji Daibutsuden and Kasuga Taisha-mae bus stop. City loop buses connect the area with JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station.