The oldest wooden construction is in Japan

If the other day I told you about the most expensive furniture ever sold, today I will tell you about the oldest wooden building still standing. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also in the Guinness Book of Records. It is a pagoda at the Horyuji Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara prefecture, Japan.

Not surprisingly, this building is located in Japan. The tradition of woodworking and complex methods of joining wooden beams, without the use of nails or materials other than wood, are already known and appreciated all over the world. Such a heritage has deep roots, and they can be recognised in the way the Horyuji temple was built.

The Ikaruga Temple has 26 buildings, all completed before 800 AD, and is considered the oldest wooden buildings. However, there is also the one with the title of the oldest. It is a 5-storey pagoda completed in 607 AD. The temple was destroyed by fire in 670 AD, but was rebuilt and finished around 700 AD. However, tests on the wood of the pagoda's central pillar showed that it was cut in AD 594, meaning that it survived the fire, and the pagoda is now considered to be the oldest wooden structure in the world still standing.

The pagoda is over 32 m high and has a base of 6/6 m. Next to it is the main temple building, which is also very old, considered the 2nd oldest in the world. Unlike the pagoda it has only 2 floors and a base of 8.5/15 m. Unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1946. It has been rebuilt, but it is believed that only 15-20% of the old structure could be saved.

Perhaps the pagoda at Horyuji Temple is not the oldest. Perhaps there are other buildings in the world that can claim this title. What is certain, however, is that there is a tradition of woodworking in Japan that has been elevated to the level of an art. And this must be understood, respected and recognised. Because I don't think any other country understands, appreciates and loves wood as passionately as Japan does.

(source: timetravelturtle.com)