Society

Nara's Five-Story Pagoda Begins Full Reroof

NARA, Sep 11 (News On Japan) - Kofukuji’s Five-Story Pagoda, a National Treasure in Nara, opened part of its large-scale restoration to the media with a demonstration of roof tile removal. The project includes examining whether some 60,000 tiles can be reused.

The demonstration showed craftsmen dismantling tiles by hand on the pagoda’s topmost roof.

Standing about 50 meters tall, the pagoda is covered by roughly 60,000 tiles weighing around 200 tons. Aging has caused widespread cracks and misalignment, and this will be the first full reroof since the Meiji era, a span of 125 years.

Deputy Chief Priest Ryoshun Tagawa said the restoration will take about 10 years, adding, “We will carry out as much repair as possible to ensure this tower is passed on to future generations.” Tagawa said the temple will assign an identification number to each tile and determine its suitability for reuse.

Source: KTV NEWS

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