In the Nara period, two pagodas were standing in a row at the southern side of Nandai Mon (Great South Gate), one in east and the other in west. At the remains of the East Pagoda, dirt mounds and stone foundation were recently unearthed. Foundation stones for the pillar of the pagoda were also unearthed at the remains of the West Pagoda. This area was designated as a national historic site by the government, for the first time in Nara Prefecture.