Koro Hall
Immediately to the east of both the Main Hall and the Lecture Hall stands the Koro Hall (Drum Tower Hall), which is Toshodaiji’s only two-story structure and a symbol of both its eighth century origins and thirteenth century revitalization.
Built in 1240, the building is a throwback to a time when the drum tower, together with the ninth century bell tower directly opposite, served as time keepers. Today, the Koro is often referred to as the “Shariden,” or Reliquary Hall, as it enshrines the relics of temple founder Ganjin. Shari comes from the Sanskrit “sarira” and refers to the bones that remain after cremation, especially the bones of the Shakyamuni Buddha or a holy person. “Shari” is also a term meaning “rice,” Japan’s staple grain that is believed by some to be a symbolic reincarnation of Buddha after his bones returned to the soil.
Despite its sacred function, the building reflects a time some five centuries after Ganjin’s passing when followers of Toshodaiji’s Risshu school set out to revive the precepts introduced by its founder in light of the growth and spread of other schools practicing less austere interpretations of the precepts. One of those credited with leading that revival was the abbot Kaku Jo (dates unknown), who is commemorated each May 19 when the unique Fan-throwing Festival is held at the Koro Hall.
The architecture of the Koro is distinctive. Doors and lattice windows are incorporated into both the upper and lower floors, while verandas and balustrades run around all four sides of the core. Like the Lecture Hall, the structure is topped with a hipped and gabled roof.
Inside the hall there is a miniature shrine that houses the Buddha reliquary, a 92-cm-high gilt bronze pagoda known as the Kinkisharito (literally “gold tortoise relics pagoda”). The giltwood base of this ornate fourteenth-century National Treasure takes the form of a mythical tortoise, hence the name.
