Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - The Dojo!

As I suspected, there is indeed a dojo in the temple. However, it is not located on the 2nd floor but the 3rd floor.  It is equipped with all the fighting accoutrements one would expect for a ninja school - katanas on racks, a bow (which someone has not properly replaced on its rack but has simply leaned against the table - Master Wu is going to be having a stern talk with someone ....) and a well worn practice dummy. There is also a sizeable sparring area in the middle of the room.

The 2nd level remains empty at the time being - maybe it will stay that way as a multi-purpose room? The floor tiles are very artistic, suggesting a meeting and gathering space of some sort.

Here is a view of the temple from the outside - we've started filling in some of the external details. The large statue of Master Wu is now atop its plinth, staring at any and all who approach the temple. A few hanging sign-posts give direction and indication of the amenities offered within and there are now some additional pillar decorations which add to the ornateness of the temple.

Some of the roof details have started to go on as well - I refer to the 3 spars that extend out from the central structure. The dojo level also has a lot of windows - I guess the students need a lot of natural light in order to train. Then again, aren't ninjas supposed to operate best in the dark??

Also of interest is the lack of any means (thus far) to access the 3rd level - perhaps the thinking is that if you want to train as a ninja, you need to be able to scale the walls to get there?

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - The Second Floor of the Temple Goes On

With the Shadow Play complete, we move to the second floor of the Temple. As previously mentioned, the lower level is purely to house the Shadow Play mechanics and there is no play value to the inside of the structure. This is made more apparent by the fact that the second level snaps and connects to the first level (as opposed to other buildings where the levels rest on each other with minimal locating tiles just to keep it loosely in place).

The shell of the 2nd level is quite plain - there is currently nothing inside, though I expect that to change as we progress further into the build. I am going to hazard a guess and say that there will be a dojo of some sort in the Temple, whether it be on this floor or the next.

The exterior looks quite ornate, with the textured wall posts and balustrades. Of course, the entrances are composed of sliding doors, which are very popular in Japan.

 The entrance on the other side of the temple is virtually a mirror image.

And here we see the 2 levels unitized. The circular stairways lead to the sliding-door entrances to the second level. I like the stairways - the color scheme and the pieces used evoke a sense of majestic stone structures, which goes well with the overall theme of an ancient temple.

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Back From A Long Hiatus, Putting On A Shadow Play

Yes, we are finally back!! Hard to believe the last time we touched a Lego brick was back in October of 2018! What can I say? We've had a busy couple months and got hooked on other forms of entertainment. But we finally got back into the groove and made some good progress.

Last time, we finished off the blacksmith shop, which is the 2nd of the two ancillary buildings. With those complete, we now move to the main structure - the temple itself.

The lower level of the Temple is really something to be admired from the outside only. I say this because the internals are made up almost entirely of the gear-work required for the Japanese Shadow Play production. You can see the rotating table set-up below with the micro-figurines in the center. At the bottom of the picture, you can also see the handle which turns the table. Pushing on the handle assembly while turning it also activates the light-brick, casting an orange glow that is then viewed through the semi-transparent glass to the left, thus creating the Shadow Play.

This is a view of the seating area in front of the shadow screen where viewers would congregate to enjoy the show.

And here is the same view, except experienced during the Shadow Play itself. You can see the light-brick activated towards the back of the structure, acting as a projector and casting light onto the figures on the turn-table. This, of course, then generates the shadows that are viewed on the screen. It looks like this portion of the play consists of a snake trying to sneak up on a hapless couple. I wonder what happens next???

And hear we have a shot of the back end of the Shadow Play - there are 2 circular sets of stairs leading to the 2nd level of the Temple. There is also a large plinth which will presumable be used to display a large statue. Interestingly, the entire plinth sits on a rotating base - something I have never seen in real life - in order to display the future status from different angles.