page_title: Shōsōin
section_title: Building
hierarchical_section_title: Shōsōin / Building
caption_attribution_description: Azekuradukuri/校倉造 in Todaiji
context_page_description: The Shōsō-in is the treasure house that belongs to Tōdai-ji in Nara, Nara, Japan. The building is in the azekura log-cabin style, with a raised floor. It lies to the northwest of the Daibutsuden. The Shōsō-in houses artifacts connected to Emperor Shōmu and Empress Kōmyō, as well as arts and crafts of the Tempyō period of Japanese history.
context_section_description: The building is in the Azekura Zukuri log-cabin style, with a floor raised to about 2.5 m takayuka-shiki (高床式).  This is an architectural style that was mainly used for the construction of granaries and storehouses. Some distinctive features of this building style are the triangular, wooden beams that come together in the corners, as well as the fact that it was assembled without using any bolts nor nails. This could be slightly surprising for its height of 14 m, width of 33 m and depth of about 9.3 m. However, it was a logical and smart step. As a result of assembling the storehouse without bolts or nails, the structure became very flexible and able to withstand earthquakes, a phenomenon of nature that Japan was already well acquainted with during Nara period. The Shōsō-in is also the only building to survive the Siege of Nara in the Heian period. The exact construction date is unclear, but construction works probably started soon after the empress's bequest in AD 756 and definitely were finished before AD 759, when the bequest items storage lists were complete.
caption: Azekura style of architecture on another store house at the Tōdai-ji
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