Description: Mie Hall (Meido ) at Toshodaiji Temple in the ancient city of Nara, Japan.

The Toshodaiji Temple is the head temple of the Ritsu sect of Buddhism, one of the six main Buddhism sects in Heijokyo (the ancient name of Nara). This sect was founded in 759 by the Chinese priest Ganjin. The Miedo, or Mie Hall used to be the Ichijoin Temple, a branch of the main Kofukuji Temple. It is also the permanent home to a statue of the Chinese priest Ganjin. This statue is only exhibited from June 5th to the 7th to celebrate his memorial day.

The Mieido was reconstructed in the Shinden style in 1964 and was moved to Toshodaiji Temple where it now stands. This photo is presumed to be taken just after the reconstruction.

Condition: the reverse the print shows signs of where it was removed from its mount. Otherwise, this photograph is in very good condition. There is also Irie's wetstamp on the reverse and loction inscription in unknown hand.

Taikichi Irie
1905 - 1992

Irie was born in Nara Prefecture and started photography in his teens being taught by his brother. In 1925 he landed a job with a camera store in Osaka and by 1931 had established his own photographic company called Kogeisha. This Osaka firm mainly did product and advertising photography as well as selling photographic merchandise.

In 1939 Irie started photographing traditional Japanese puppetry called bunraku which led to his first solo exhibition on the subject in Osaka in 1942. In the years that followed, Irie lost his home and business during the allied bombing raids of Osaka in 1945, forcing him to return to his family home in Nara.

Throughout the 1940s Irie photographed Buddhist temples and relics which led to a lifelong pursuit of the subject. His Buddhist images were first published in the early 1940s and by 1958 began publishing a series of ongoing books on the subject which led to much commercial success throughout his career. By the end of his life he had published numerous titles, many of which were sumptuous volumes by Japanese publishers.

Irie died in January, 1992 three months before a photography museum dedicated to his life work opened in Nara City. This museum is called the Nara-shi Shashin Bijutsukan or Nara City Museum of Photography. He is best known for documenting Buddhist relics and “Yamatoji”, the historical sites of Nara Prefecture.

Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum link (Japanese):