Japan's ancient pagoda to get jigsaw puzzle facelift

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - One hundred years may seem a long time to wait for a facelift, but for Japan's centuries-old temples' the wait is nothing new.

Ancient architecture needs to be renovated every 100 years, said Kazuo Kitagawa, an official at the Yakushiji temple in Nara, western Japan, the latest slated to undergo a painstaking jigsaw puzzle-like reconstruction.

The UNESCO-listed ancient pagoda, known for its flowing three-tiered roof, will get its first face-lift since 1898 to secure its creaky structure, Kitagawa said on Thursday.

"If we don't do anything, then it's going to be dangerous when a big earthquake hits," he said.

The 34-metre high East Pagoda was built in the first half of the 8th century out of Japanese cypress.

The pagoda has survived at least two big blazes, major windstorms and minor quakes, but its damaged and weakening central pillar has rendered an overhaul necessary.

From 2011 most, if not all, of the building will be taken apart. The pieces will then be carefully numbered, assessed and repaired by specialist carpenters.

The entire process may take a decade or more, Kitagawa said.

The temple is one of the eight historic monuments in Nara, Japan's ancient capital from 710 to 784, that were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Gillian Murdoch)

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