Shōsōin

The Shōsō-in (正倉院) is a Japanese treasure house in the Tōdai-ji temple complex at Nara^[1] It is close to the building which houses the Great Buddha (Diabutsuden).

Shōsō-in

It is the oldest museum structure in the world.^[2]

History

The earliest objects in the Shōsō-in were put there by Empress Kōmyō (701–760). The collection includes artifacts from the arts and crafts of the Tempyō era.

The building was built in the "log-cabin style" (校倉, azekura) with a raised floor raised floor (高床式, takayuka-shiki).