Todai-ji in Nara, Japan, was born out of catastrophe. After an alleged coup in 729, a smallpox epidemic from 735 to 737 killed roughly a third of Japan’s population, followed by famine and rebellion, and Emperor Shomu moved the capital four times. In 741 he ordered provincial temples built nationwide with Todai-ji at their head, and two years later he commanded a colossal bronze Daibutsu. To avoid friction with Shinto, the monk Gyoki spent seven days chanting sutras at the Ise Grand Shrine and returned with an oracle blessing the project. Temple records say 2.6 million people contributed and about 350,000 worked on the 500 ton statue, which was cast in eight layers over three years by workers carrying molten bronze up earthen ramps, nearly bankrupting the nation.

The 752 eye opening ceremony drew 10,000 monks and 4,000 dancers, with the Indian priest Bodhisena painting the eyes alongside Shomu. Todai-ji housed all six Buddhist schools and controlled official ordinations, and the Chinese monk Ganjin went blind over 12 years and six sea crossings before reaching it in 754. Its two 100 meter pagodas fell to earthquakes, and fires melted the Buddha’s head. The hall rebuilt in the early 1700s was 30 percent smaller yet remained the largest wooden building in the world until 1998. When its 48 pillars buckled under the roof, a 1974 restoration involving 100,000 people hid steel cores and resin inside the ancient wood.

• X-rays of the statue’s knee revealing pearls, mirrors, swords, jewels, and a tooth attributed to Emperor Shomu
• The 13th century Nio guardians Agyo and Ungyo, moved for the first time in nearly 800 years for a $5 million repair
• The pillar hole the size of the Buddha’s nostril, said to grant enlightenment to anyone who crawls through
• A 1994 UNESCO concert pairing taiko drummers and chanting monks with Bob Dylan and Jon Bon Jovi
• The 2019 donation box for Notre Dame, with a sign asking visitors to support the cathedral “going beyond the creed”