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The entire image and its base were finally gilded in 757-ten years after work had begun. Tōdaiji yōroku, a history of the temple compiled in 1106, relates that 444 metric tons of refined copper, 7 metric tons of refined tin, 391 kg of gold leaf, 2.2 metric tons of mercury, and 4.66 cu. km of charcoal were used for this image. The labor statistics are equally astounding. Skilled carpenters spent 51,590 man-days building the wooden frame for the clay core and outer mold, assisted by unskilled laborers who contributed 1,665,071 man-days of their time, while master casters spent 372,075 man-days mixing the metals and casting the image, with unskilled workers laboring 514,902 man-days under their guidance. The sheer numbers of laborers and resources commanded for this project reflect the magnitude of the emperor's authority in the eighth century.
Elevation and access are other visible expressions of power applicable at Tōdaiji. The Great Buddha Hall, like other Buddhist temples, is enclosed by walls and elevated on a stone base above the approach path taken by the supplicant. Each side of the Hall has an entryway reached by a set of centrally located stone steps. The stone base raises the temple above the surrounding world, and the thick plaster walls separate the site from the mundane. Furthermore, although it is possible to enter the Hall and view the Great Buddha from any of the four entryways, the interior was not originally intended for worshipers or religious services. Rather, like the interiors of Ise and Izumo shrines, the interior of the Great Buddha Hall was the exclusive realm of the divine. The architecture provided a space for man to approach the divine, but also carefully maintained the distinction between the two.
The Great Buddha Hall was designed for its image and, indeed, the image was nearly completed before the hall was built over it. The massive Universal Buddha dominates the space, sitting, as it does, in the very center on a lotus throne built directly onto the floor. Originally, attendant figures stood on separate octagonal pedestals flanking the main image, and Four Guardians (shitennō) stood in the four corners of the hall.
Thus, there is no altar in the hall; the floor serves as the altar and worship takes place outside. Even the emperor did not enter the hall except on very special occasions. For example, when Emperor En'yū (r. 969-984) retired and entered the priesthood at Tōdaiji, he worshiped outside the doors of the Great Buddha Hall, entering only after the service to marvel at the image. Although by the medieval period some services were held inside the main hall, at the time of its construction access to the image was very limited, indeed. For a temple constructed largely through public contributions, most individuals could glimpse only Tōdaiji's rooftops towering over its walls; even priests and emperors had limited access to the sacred image. As at Ise, the elevation of the building and its limited visual and physical access serve to underscore the importance and sacred nature of this very important Buddhist temple.
Azuchi Castle and Military Authority
The latter decades of the sixteenth century through the first half of the seventeenth century saw the construction of magnificent castles by military rulers bent on unifying the country and stabilizing their governments. Often called the "period of unification," this era was dominated by three great military generals-Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616)-who each struggled to bring a group of powerful feudal lords (daimyō) under central control. All built castles to fortify their positions and symbolize their authority. The earliest and perhaps most impressive of these was Azuchi Castle, built between 1576 and 1579 by Nobunaga, both as a symbol of his personal religious beliefs and a reflection of his substantial military strength.
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