Architecture of the Lecture Hall (Kōdō)
The Lecture Hall stands at the exact center of the Tōji complex, a testament to its importance in the spiritual life of the temple. It was the first building to be reconstructed after the fire that devastated Tōji in 1486. Rebuilding was finished in just five years, in 1491, making the it one of the temple’s oldest surviving structures.
The focus of the Lecture Hall is the statues inside, which form a three-dimensional mandala designed by Kūkai (774–835) as an aid for meditation and study. The Lecture Hall has a single hip-and-gable roof and huge doors that can be opened to reveal the statues inside.