Daibutsu Hall is one of the largest wooden structures in the world. It was destroyed by fire two times. The present building was reconstructed in 1709. It is only two-thirds of the original building in floor area and has 31m less frontage. The statue was cast at this place part by part in eight stages between 745 and 749. Pieces were cast from the bottom, and each piece was joined to the piece below. It was a tremendous project, and the light of the smelting furnaces was said to be visible at night even from the southern part of Yamashiro (present-day Kyoto). The statue of Buddha is usually accompanied by two statues of bodhisattvas. These two attendants to the Daibutsu were completed about 300 years age, during the reconstruction work of the present hall. They are both gilt wooden statues. The two statues enable us to imagine how the original Daibutsu looked when it was completely gilt.