During the Nara period (710-794), Daianji was about 25 times larger than it is now, occupying a space of some 240 hectares. It incorporated most of the Sugiyama Kofun, a keyhole-shaped tomb erected in the fifth century. Two grand pagodas, each seven stories tall, stood in the southern part of the temple grounds. Daianji also hosted a monastery of nearly 900 scholarly monks, including travelers from foreign countries such as China and India.

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  A model reconstruction of the Daianji Temple grounds
  during the Nara period.

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  Historic Landmark Remains of the Daianji Temple pagodas. There were once two huge seven-storied pagodas standing east and west, and this is where they stood. Approximately 200 meters south of Daianji Temple.

After suffering fires and earthquakes over the years, Daianji was virtually abandoned in the sixteenth century. Efforts to revive it began in the late nineteenth century, and today it contains nine precious Buddhist statues from the eighth century, all designated Important Cultural Properties. It is renowned as a place to pray for the prevention and healing of cancer, drawing more than 10,000 attendees to its biannual prayer festival.