Episode 486 - The Nation's Kitchen, Part 1
History of Japan
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The History of Todaiji and Nara
Todaiji and Nara was set up in the mid-700s specifically to house monks whose spiritual activities would, it was hoped, provide a sort of spiritual defense for Japan itself. The temple's own records indicate that between 745 and 752 CE, it employed 50,000 carpenters, 370,000 metal workers, and over 2 million laborers.
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