Buddhist Art Library
External appearance
The Buddhist Art Library was founded in 1980 for the purpose of creation, collection, arrangement and conservation of research data related to Buddhist art, as well as publication of related books and photos.
◆Materials currently to the public (as of April, 2008)
Books: 67,000 volumes
Magazines: about 3,000 titles
Exhibition catalogs: about 10,000 copies
Photos:about 128,000 prints
*Please look this page for inquiry of the photographic images.
◆Library Catalog (OPAC)
Users can search for Buddhist Art Library materials including books, journals, bulletins, reports and exhibition catalogues via the Internet. Books and journals can be searched by title, author and subject in the “Book/Journal Search.” Articles in journals and exhibition catalogues can be searched by title and author in the “Article Search” as well.
◆Open days and hours
Wednesdays and Fridays 9:30AM to 4:30PM
(Photocopy service available until 4:00PM)
It is closed on holidays and during the period from December 26 to January 4.
◆Service
The Center is available for browsing, photocopying of written materials, and reference to archives.
◆How to use the library
Please enter the building site from the south gate on the approach to Kasuga Shrine, register at the west entrance reception desk in the building.
Central hall
Reading room
◆About the building
The Buddhist Art Library was built as an exhibition hall of local products of Nara prefecture in 1902. It was
designed by a scholar of the architectural history named Tadashi Sekino (1867－1935). The building is made of wood and roofed
with pantiles (a type of corrugated roof tile) and use techniques of western-style architecture on its roof trussand wall, although
basically the exterior is a Japanese style.
This is a lofty building at the end of the right and left wings stretched from the high roofed central building. The overall
image of the building was modeled on Byōdōin Hō’ōdō in Uji, Kyoto. The facade has a porch decorated with a Karahafu style
gable (undulating gable) and Islamic designs are adopted on the windows.
The building is highly evaluated as a representative modern Japanese architecture from the mid-Meiji era.
Later the building was renamed the Nara Prefecture Commerce and Industry Exhibition Hall. In 1951, the management of the hall was transferred to the Japanese government, and used as the
office of the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties until 1980.
In 1983, it was registered as an important cultural property and the management was transferred to the Nara National Museum in
the same year. Since then, it has been used as the Buddhist Art Library.
◆Concerning the upgrade to ensure earthquack-resistant
Under the construction from Oct. 2009 to Mar. 2011, the building was renovated to ensure earthquake-resistant; also restored the interior of the building to enhance its historical and cultural value.
As a result of the renovation, the spacious area around central hall to west wing, the wooden arch and clearstory are resurrected to their original configuration:that of the Meiji era.
It was also modernized as a research center; provided a reading and a study rooms, reinforced the floor, and also installed confluent bookshelves.
Now we are planning to promote the historical and cultural value of this building while providing public access to the academic resources as the Buddhist Art Library, as well as preserve and utilize this modern architecture.
