It was later renamed as Asuka-dera for Asuka, the name of the capital where it was located. Soga no Umako built Hōkō-ji, the first temple in Japan, between 588 and 596. History of Buddhist temples in Japan īuddhism arrived in Japan in the mid–6th century, and was officially adopted in the wake of the Battle of Shigisan in 587, after which Buddhist temples began to be constructed. The structures include main halls such as kon-dō, hon-dō, Butsuden pagodas, gates, belfries ( 鐘楼, shōrō), corridors, other halls and structures that are part of a Buddhist temple. The number of structures listed is more than 157, because in some cases groups of related structures are combined to form a single entry. This list presents 157 entries of national treasure temple structures from the late 7th-century Classical Asuka period to the early modern 19th-century Edo period. The items are selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology based on their "especially high historical or artistic value". The temple structures in this list were designated national treasures when the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was implemented on June 9, 1951. The definition and the criteria have changed since the inception of the term. The term " National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897. Kon-dō and five-storied pagoda at Hōryū-ji, two of the world's oldest wooden structures dating to around 700