Damage to a balustrade of the five-story pagoda of Kofukuji Temple in Nara is visible in November last year.
12:21 JST, July 5, 2024
NARA — Preparations are underway for the first major repairs in about 120 years to the five-story pagoda at Kofukuji Temple, a World Heritage site in Nara.
The pagoda, which is also a national monument, will be covered with a temporary roof at the end of January next year. The landmark of the old capital will not be visible until around 2031. The restoration work is expected to be completed by then.
Preparations are being made on Wednesday for major maintenance work on the pagoda at Kofukuji Temple.
The press was recently allowed inside the pagoda before construction began in earnest. The veranda on the top floor offers panoramic views of the city, but exposure to wind and rain has severely damaged the building’s balustrades. The plaster on the walls is peeling, and parts of the walls themselves have cracked under the weight of the building. On the other hand, a few pillars still have some red paint on them, a reminder of the building’s former grandeur.
The pagoda, in the foreground, is seen in May 2023, before preparations for repair work began.
