Asuka-dera Temple, Nara

Founded by Soga no Umako in the late 6th Century, Asuka-dera (Ango-in) was the first true Buddhist temple in Japan. The original temple, Gango-ji, was moved to Nara in 718.

What remains is the temple's 4.8 metre bronze image of Shaka (Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha) cast by Tori Busshi in 609. It is the oldest existing Buddha image in Japan, but fires, earthquakes and bad repairs have left it badly disfigured.