金堂
南大門をくぐると正面に現れるきらびやかな建物は金堂といいます。8世紀後半に造られ、桁行7間、梁行4間からなります。庇は軒端の上にわずかに湾曲し、母屋の外側を囲んでいます。正面の一間通りには、壁を造らない「吹き放ち」という建築様式が用いられており、軒を支える円柱の土台として機能します。それぞれの支柱の先には腕木が取り付けられ、庇を支えています。屋根の四角を支える「隅鬼」が彫られた隅木ともども、この仕組みは装飾の上でも重要な役割を果たしています。
堂内では、格子窓から差し込む柔らかな光が立ち並ぶ像を照らします。中央にあるのは、本尊の盧遮那仏坐像です。左右の立像はそれぞれ、薬師如来と千手観音をかたどっており、三尊ともに国宝に指定されております。
調査によると、残存する天井画は金堂の建立時に作られたものであることが分かりました。またこれらの壁画は、甘粛省敦煌市（中国）にある莫高窟で見つかった絵画と特性が類似しており、鑑真の渡航に同行した弟子が並外れた絵の技量を有していたのではないかと考えられています。
Main Hall
The stately building seen inside the Southern Great Gate (Nandaimon), is the Main Hall, or Golden Hall. Built during the latter half of the eighth century, the single-story structure is seven bays wide and four bays deep. The curved hipped roof projects over raised aisles (hisashi) that run around the outside of the building’s core (moya). The aisles are without walls, described in architectural terms as fukihanachi, and also provide a base for the pillars that support the roof. Each pillar is topped by a system of brackets and supporting blocks, which connect to and support the eaves. The number of brackets changes according to the degree to which a roof projects, and the bracket complexes also serve an important decorative function. In the corners small supporting blocks are carved with the faces of ogres called jaki.
Inside, natural light from the lattice windows illuminates a dais displaying a group of statues. At the center sits the temple’s principal image, Rushana Buddha, while to the left stands the Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva, and to the right, Yakushi, the Buddha of Healing, all statues designated National Treasures.
Examination of the building has revealed remnants of frescoes believed to date back to the hall’s inception. These show similar qualities to paintings found at the Mogao cave temples in Dunhuang, which has led to the belief that among the disciples who accompanied Ganjin on his trip to Japan were artists who possessed outstanding painting skills.
