Tō
Encyclopedia
The , sometimes also called or is the Japanese version of the Chinese pagoda
, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa
. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple
compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act
of 1868 a Shinto shrine was normally also a Buddhist temple and vice versa, they are not rare at shrines too. The famous Itsukushima Shrine
for example has one.
After the Meiji Restoration
the word tō, once used exclusively in a religious context, came to mean also "tower
" in the western sense, as for example in .
Of the Japanese pagoda's many forms, some are built in wood and are collectively known as , but most are carved out of stone (. Wood pagodas are large buildings with either two stories (like the , see photo below) or an odd number of stories. Extant wood pagodas with more than two stories have almost always either three stories (and are therefore called ) or five (and are called . Stone pagodas are nearly always small, usually well below 3 m meters, and as a rule offer no usable space. If they have more than one story, pagodas are called or .
A pagoda's size is measured in ken
, where a ken is the interval between two pillars of a traditional-style building. A tahōtō
for example can be either 5x5 ken or 3x3 ken. The word is usually translated in English as "bay" and is better understood as an indication of proportions than as a unit of measurement.
The stupa was originally a simple mound containing the Buddha
's ashes which in time became more elaborate, while its finial grew proportionally larger. After reaching China, the stupa met the Chinese watchtower and evolved into the pagoda, a tower with an odd number of stories.Odd numbers are strongly favored by Chinese numerology
and Buddhism. They are supposed to represent yang
, that is, the male and positive principle, and therefore considered lucky. Its use then spread to Korea and, from there, to Japan. Following its arrival in Japan together with Buddhism
in the 6th century, the pagoda became one of the focal points of the early Japanese garan.Temple compound, ideally composed of seven buildings. In Japan it evolved in shape, size and function, finally losing its original role as a reliquary. It also became extremely common, while on the Asian continent it is rare.
With the birth of new sects in later centuries, the pagoda lost importance and was consequently relegated to the margins of the garan. Temples of the Jōdo
sects rarely have a pagoda. During the Kamakura period
arrived in Japan the Zen
sect, whose temples do not normally include a pagoda.
Pagodas originally were reliquaries and did not contain sacred images, but in Japan many, for example Hōryū-ji
's five-storied pagoda, enshrine statues of various deities. To allow the opening of a room at the ground floor and therefore create some usable space, the pagoda's central shaft, which originally reached the ground, was shortened to the upper stories, where it rested on supporting beams. In that room are enshrined statues of the temple's main objects of worship. Inside Shingon pagodas there can be paintings of deities called ; on the ceiling and on the central shaft there can be decorations and paintings.
forms a straight line, with each following edge being shorter than the other. The more difference in length (a parameter called in Japanese) between stories, the more solid and secure seems to be the pagoda. Both teigen and the finial
are greater in older pagodas, giving them a sense of solidity. Vice-versa, recent pagodas tend to be steeper and have shorter finials, creating svelter silhouettes.
From the structural point of view, old pagodas had a over which stood the . Around it would be erected the first story's supporting pillars, then the beams supporting the eaves and so on. The other stories would be built over the completed one, and on top of the main pillar would at last be inserted the finial. In later eras, all of the supporting structures would be erected at once, and later to them were fixed parts of more cosmetic function.
Early pagodas had a central pillar that penetrated deep into the ground. With the evolution of architectural techniques, it was first put to rest on a base stone at ground level, then it was shortened and put to rest on beams at the second story to allow the opening of a room.
Their role within the temple declined gradually while they were being functionally replaced by main halls
(kondō). Originally the centerpiece of the Shingon and Tendai garan, they were moved later to its edges and finally abandoned, in particular by the Zen sects, the last to appear in Japan.
Because of the relics they contained, wooden pagodas used to be the centerpiece of the garan, the seven edifices considered indispensable for a temple. They gradually lost of importance and were replaced by the kondō
(golden hall), because of the magic powers believed to lie within the images the building housed. This loss of status was so complete that Zen schools, which arrived late in Japan from China, normally do not have any pagoda in their garan. The layout of four early temples clearly illustrates this trend: they are in chronological order Asuka-dera
, Shitennō-ji
, Hōryū-ji
, and Yakushi-ji
. In the first, the pagoda was at the very center of the garan surrounded by three small kondō (see the reconstruction of the temple's original layout). In the second, a single kondō is at the center of the temple and the pagoda lies in front of it. At Hōryū-ji, they are one next to the other. Yakushi-ji has a single, large kondō at the center with two pagodas on the sides. The same evolution can be observed in Buddhist temples in China.
or granite
, are much smaller than wooden ones and are finely carved. Often they bear sanskrit
inscriptions, Buddhist figurines and Japanese lunar calendar dates nengō. Like wooden ones, they are mostly classifiable on the basis of the number of stories as tasōtō or hōtō, but there are however some styles hardly ever seen in wood, namely the gorintō, the muhōtō, the hōkyōintō and the kasatōba.
, which is 14.12 m. They are often dedicated to Buddha and offer no usable room, but some have a small space inside which holds a sacred image. In the oldest extant specimen, while the edge of each story are parallel to the ground, each successive story is smaller than the next, resulting in a strongly slanted curve. More modern tasōtō tend to have a less pronounced curve.
. Unlike the similar tahōtō (see section below) it has no enclosed pent roof (mokoshi
) around its circular core. Like the tahōtō it takes its name from Buddhist deity Tahō Nyorai. The hōtō was born during the early Heian period
, when the Tendai
and Shingon sects first arrived in Japan. Indeed, because it does not exist on the Asian continent, it is believed to have been invented in Japan.
There used to exist full-size hōtō, but almost only miniature ones survive, normally made of stone and/or metal.
The is a pagoda found almost only in Japan and believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai
sects during the mid Heian period
. It is used as a tomb marker or as a cenotaph, and is therefore a common sight in Buddhist temples and cemeteries. It is also called ("five-ringed stupa") or , where the term sotoba is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word stupa
.
In all its variations, the gorintō is made of five blocks (although that number can sometimes be difficult to detect), each having one of the five shapes which symbolize of the Five Elements
believed to be the basic building blocks of reality: earth (cube), water (sphere), fire (pyramid), air (crescent), and ether, energy, or void (lotus). The last two rings (air and ether) are visually and conceptually united into a single subgroup.
. It was originally used as a cenotaph for the King of Wuyue - Qian Liu
in China.
The hōkyōintō tradition in Japan is believed to have begun during the Asuka period
(550–710 CE). They used to be made of wood and started to be made in stone only during the Kamakura period. It is also during this period that they started to be used as tombstones and cenotaphs. The hōkyōintō started to be made in its present form during the Kamakura period
. Like a gorintō, it is divided in five main sections representing the five elements of Japanese cosmology. The sūtra it sometimes hides contain all the pious deeds of a Tathagata
Buddha, and the faithful believe that, by praying in front of the hōkyōintō, their sins will be canceled, during their lives they will be protected from disasters and after death they will go to heaven.
.
Besides being decorative in themselves,they are also used also to hide structural components which would otherwise mar the pagoda's feel. A famous example is Yakushi-ji
's eastern pagoda (see photo to the left), which seems to have six stories but has in fact only three. Another is the tahōtō (see below), which has a single story, plus a mokoshi under its roof, and seems therefore to have two stories. On the subject, see also the articles Hisashi
, Mokoshi
and Moya
. There existed specimen with seven or nine stories, but all extant ones have either three (and are therefore called ) or five (and are called .（Tanzan Jinja in Sakurai, Nara
, has a pagoda having thirteen, which however for structural reasons is classified separately, and is not considered a tasōtō.) The oldest three-storied pagoda stands at Nara's Hokki-ji
and was built between 685 and 706. The oldest extant five-storied pagoda belongs to Hōryū-ji
and was built some time during the Asuka period
(538 -710). The tallest wooden tasōtō belongs to Tō-ji
, Kyoto. It has five stories and is 54 m tall.
. Unlike the similar tahōtō (see section below) it has no square enclosed pent roof (mokoshi
) around its cylindrical core. Like the tahōtō it takes its name from Buddhist deity . The Hhōtō was born during the early Heian period
, when the Tendai
and Shingon Buddhist sects first arrived in Japan.
There used to be many full-size hōtō, but almost only miniature ones survive, normally made of stone and/or metal. A good example of full-size hōtō can be seen at Ikegami Honmon-ji
in Nishi-magome
, Tokyo
. The pagoda is 17.4 meter tall and 5.7 meter wide.
The tahōtō is a type of wooden pagoda unique for having an even number of stories (two), the first square with a rounded core, the second circular. This style of tō was created surrounding the cylindrical base of a hōtō (see above) with a square, roofed corridor called mokoshi
.For reasons of space, however, the wall separating the mokoshi from the core of the pagoda is present only in large tahōtō called daitō (see the next section). The core of the pagoda has just one story with its ceiling below the circular second story, which is inaccessible. Like the tasōtō and the rōmon
, in spite of its appearance it therefore offers usable space only at the ground floor.
Because its kind does not exist either in Korea or in China, it is believed to have been invented in Japan during the Heian period
(794 - 1185). The tahōtō was important enough to be considered one of the seven indispensable buildings (the so-called shichidō garan
) of a Shingon temple. Kūkai
himself is responsible for the construction of the tahōto at Mount Kōya
's Kongōbu-ji
.
across with four main, supporting pillars called at the corners (see drawing). The room the shitenbashira form houses a sanctuary where the main objects of worship (the gohonzon
) are enshrined.
Larger, 5x5 ken tahōtō however exist and are called because of their dimensions. This is the only type of tahōtō to retain the original structure with a wall separating the corridor (mokoshi) from the core of the structure. This type of pagoda used to be common but, of all daitō ever built, only three are still extant. One is at Wakayama prefecture
's Negoro-ji
, another at Kongōbu-ji
, again in Wakayama, and the last at Kirihata-dera, Tokushima prefecture
. The daitō at Kongōbu-ji was founded by Shingon sect
's Kūkai
. The specimen found at Negoro-ji (see photo above) is 30.85 meters tall and a National Treasure
.
and the posthumous name of the dead person. Their name derives from the Sanskrit stūpa
, and they can be also considered pagodas.
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple
Buddhist temples in Japan
Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act
Shinbutsu Bunri
The term in Japanese indicates the forbidding by law of the amalgamation of kami and buddhas made during the Meiji Restoration. It also indicates the effort made by the Japanese government to create a clear division between native kami beliefs and Buddhism on one side, and Buddhist temples and...
of 1868 a Shinto shrine was normally also a Buddhist temple and vice versa, they are not rare at shrines too. The famous Itsukushima Shrine
Itsukushima Shrine
Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan...
for example has one.
After the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
the word tō, once used exclusively in a religious context, came to mean also "tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
" in the western sense, as for example in .
Of the Japanese pagoda's many forms, some are built in wood and are collectively known as , but most are carved out of stone (. Wood pagodas are large buildings with either two stories (like the , see photo below) or an odd number of stories. Extant wood pagodas with more than two stories have almost always either three stories (and are therefore called ) or five (and are called . Stone pagodas are nearly always small, usually well below 3 m meters, and as a rule offer no usable space. If they have more than one story, pagodas are called or .
A pagoda's size is measured in ken
Ken (architecture)
A is a measurement in Japanese architecture. It has two principal uses:* As a proportion for intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. The word is translated in this case in English as "bay". Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5...
, where a ken is the interval between two pillars of a traditional-style building. A tahōtō
Tahōtō
A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories...
for example can be either 5x5 ken or 3x3 ken. The word is usually translated in English as "bay" and is better understood as an indication of proportions than as a unit of measurement.
History
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
's ashes which in time became more elaborate, while its finial grew proportionally larger. After reaching China, the stupa met the Chinese watchtower and evolved into the pagoda, a tower with an odd number of stories.Odd numbers are strongly favored by Chinese numerology
Numerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
and Buddhism. They are supposed to represent yang
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
, that is, the male and positive principle, and therefore considered lucky. Its use then spread to Korea and, from there, to Japan. Following its arrival in Japan together with Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in the 6th century, the pagoda became one of the focal points of the early Japanese garan.Temple compound, ideally composed of seven buildings. In Japan it evolved in shape, size and function, finally losing its original role as a reliquary. It also became extremely common, while on the Asian continent it is rare.
With the birth of new sects in later centuries, the pagoda lost importance and was consequently relegated to the margins of the garan. Temples of the Jōdo
Jodo
, meaning "the way of the jō", or is a Japanese martial art using short staffs called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet long...
sects rarely have a pagoda. During the Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
arrived in Japan the Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
sect, whose temples do not normally include a pagoda.
Pagodas originally were reliquaries and did not contain sacred images, but in Japan many, for example Hōryū-ji
Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as seminary and monastery both....
's five-storied pagoda, enshrine statues of various deities. To allow the opening of a room at the ground floor and therefore create some usable space, the pagoda's central shaft, which originally reached the ground, was shortened to the upper stories, where it rested on supporting beams. In that room are enshrined statues of the temple's main objects of worship. Inside Shingon pagodas there can be paintings of deities called ; on the ceiling and on the central shaft there can be decorations and paintings.
Design and structure evolution
The edge of a pagoda's eavesEaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
forms a straight line, with each following edge being shorter than the other. The more difference in length (a parameter called in Japanese) between stories, the more solid and secure seems to be the pagoda. Both teigen and the finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
are greater in older pagodas, giving them a sense of solidity. Vice-versa, recent pagodas tend to be steeper and have shorter finials, creating svelter silhouettes.
From the structural point of view, old pagodas had a over which stood the . Around it would be erected the first story's supporting pillars, then the beams supporting the eaves and so on. The other stories would be built over the completed one, and on top of the main pillar would at last be inserted the finial. In later eras, all of the supporting structures would be erected at once, and later to them were fixed parts of more cosmetic function.
Early pagodas had a central pillar that penetrated deep into the ground. With the evolution of architectural techniques, it was first put to rest on a base stone at ground level, then it was shortened and put to rest on beams at the second story to allow the opening of a room.
Their role within the temple declined gradually while they were being functionally replaced by main halls
Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)
Main hall is the term used in English for the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound which enshrines the main object of veneration. Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them Butsuden,...
(kondō). Originally the centerpiece of the Shingon and Tendai garan, they were moved later to its edges and finally abandoned, in particular by the Zen sects, the last to appear in Japan.
Loss of importance of the pagoda within the garan
Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)
Main hall is the term used in English for the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound which enshrines the main object of veneration. Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them Butsuden,...
(golden hall), because of the magic powers believed to lie within the images the building housed. This loss of status was so complete that Zen schools, which arrived late in Japan from China, normally do not have any pagoda in their garan. The layout of four early temples clearly illustrates this trend: they are in chronological order Asuka-dera
Asuka-dera
', also known as ', is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara. Asuka-dera is regarded as one of the oldest in Japan.-Temple complex:A number of records refer to the origin of the temple, such as the Nihongi and Fusō-ryakuki...
, Shitennō-ji
Shitenno-ji
is a Buddhist temple in Osaka, Japan.Prince Shōtoku is said to have constructed this temple in 593. It is the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan, although the temple buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries. Most of the present structures are from when the...
, Hōryū-ji
Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as seminary and monastery both....
, and Yakushi-ji
Yakushi-ji
is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, located in Nara. The temple is the headquarters of the Hossō school of Japanese Buddhism...
. In the first, the pagoda was at the very center of the garan surrounded by three small kondō (see the reconstruction of the temple's original layout). In the second, a single kondō is at the center of the temple and the pagoda lies in front of it. At Hōryū-ji, they are one next to the other. Yakushi-ji has a single, large kondō at the center with two pagodas on the sides. The same evolution can be observed in Buddhist temples in China.
Stone pagodas
Stone pagodas (sekitō) are usually made of materials like apatiteApatite
Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and bromapatite, named for high concentrations of OH−, F−, Cl− or Br− ions, respectively, in the crystal...
or granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, are much smaller than wooden ones and are finely carved. Often they bear sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
inscriptions, Buddhist figurines and Japanese lunar calendar dates nengō. Like wooden ones, they are mostly classifiable on the basis of the number of stories as tasōtō or hōtō, but there are however some styles hardly ever seen in wood, namely the gorintō, the muhōtō, the hōkyōintō and the kasatōba.
Tasōtō or tajūtō
With a few very rare exceptions, tasōtō (also called tajūtō) have an odd number of stories, normally comprised between three and thirteen. They are usually less than three meters tall, but they can occasionally be much taller. The tallest still extant is a 13-story pagoda at Hannya-ji in NaraNara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, which is 14.12 m. They are often dedicated to Buddha and offer no usable room, but some have a small space inside which holds a sacred image. In the oldest extant specimen, while the edge of each story are parallel to the ground, each successive story is smaller than the next, resulting in a strongly slanted curve. More modern tasōtō tend to have a less pronounced curve.
Hōtō
A is a pagoda consisting of four parts: a low foundation stone, a cylindrical body with a rounded top, a four-sided roof and a finialFinial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. Unlike the similar tahōtō (see section below) it has no enclosed pent roof (mokoshi
Mokoshi
In Japanese architecture a , literally "skirt story" or "cuff story", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are...
) around its circular core. Like the tahōtō it takes its name from Buddhist deity Tahō Nyorai. The hōtō was born during the early Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, when the Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
and Shingon sects first arrived in Japan. Indeed, because it does not exist on the Asian continent, it is believed to have been invented in Japan.
There used to exist full-size hōtō, but almost only miniature ones survive, normally made of stone and/or metal.
Gorintō
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
sects during the mid Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
. It is used as a tomb marker or as a cenotaph, and is therefore a common sight in Buddhist temples and cemeteries. It is also called ("five-ringed stupa") or , where the term sotoba is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
.
In all its variations, the gorintō is made of five blocks (although that number can sometimes be difficult to detect), each having one of the five shapes which symbolize of the Five Elements
Five elements (Japanese philosophy)
One may encounter two kinds of five elements philosophy in Japan. One is called, in Japanese, gogyō , having its backgrounds in the Chinese five elements, and the other is called godai . Godai is usually regarded as a Buddhism term in Japan, with certain influences from Hinduism. The following...
believed to be the basic building blocks of reality: earth (cube), water (sphere), fire (pyramid), air (crescent), and ether, energy, or void (lotus). The last two rings (air and ether) are visually and conceptually united into a single subgroup.
Hōkyōintō
The is a large stone pagoda so called because it originally contained the sūtraSutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
. It was originally used as a cenotaph for the King of Wuyue - Qian Liu
Qian Liu
Qian Liu , courtesy name Jumei , nickname Poliu , formally King Wusu of Wuyue with the temple name of Taizu , was founder and first king of the Kingdom of Wuyue during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, ruling over roughly modern Zhejiang on the east coast of China.- Background :Qian...
in China.
The hōkyōintō tradition in Japan is believed to have begun during the Asuka period
Asuka period
The , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...
(550–710 CE). They used to be made of wood and started to be made in stone only during the Kamakura period. It is also during this period that they started to be used as tombstones and cenotaphs. The hōkyōintō started to be made in its present form during the Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
. Like a gorintō, it is divided in five main sections representing the five elements of Japanese cosmology. The sūtra it sometimes hides contain all the pious deeds of a Tathagata
Tathagata
Tathāgata in Pali and Sanskrit) is the name the Buddha of the scriptures uses when referring to himself. The term means, paradoxically, both one who has thus gone and one who has thus come . Hence, the Tathagata is beyond all coming and going – beyond all transitory phenomena...
Buddha, and the faithful believe that, by praying in front of the hōkyōintō, their sins will be canceled, during their lives they will be protected from disasters and after death they will go to heaven.
Muhōtō or rantō
The or is a pagoda which usually marks the gravesite of a Buddhist priest. It was originally used by just the Zen schools, but it was later adopted by the others too. Its characteristic egg-shaped upper portion is supposed to be a phallic symbol.Kasatōba
A (see photo in the gallery below) is simply a square stone post placed over a square base and covered by a pyramidal roof. Over the roof stand a bowl-shaped stone and a lotus-shaped stone. The shaft can be carved with Sanskrit words or low-relief images of Buddhist gods. Within the shaft there can be stone wheels which allow the faithful to turn the stupa around while praying as with a prayer wheelPrayer wheel
A prayer wheel is a cylindrical "wheel" on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather or coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit on the outside of the wheel. Also sometimes depicted are Dakinis, Protectors and very often the 8 auspicious symbols...
.
Sōrintō
The is a type of small pagoda consisting just of a pole and a sōrin. For a photo of a sōrintō, see this site.
Tasōtō
Wooden tasōtō are pagodas with an odd number of stories. Some may appear to have an even number because of the presence between stories of purely decorative enclosed pent roofs called mokoshiMokoshi
In Japanese architecture a , literally "skirt story" or "cuff story", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are...
Besides being decorative in themselves,they are also used also to hide structural components which would otherwise mar the pagoda's feel. A famous example is Yakushi-ji
Yakushi-ji
is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, located in Nara. The temple is the headquarters of the Hossō school of Japanese Buddhism...
's eastern pagoda (see photo to the left), which seems to have six stories but has in fact only three. Another is the tahōtō (see below), which has a single story, plus a mokoshi under its roof, and seems therefore to have two stories. On the subject, see also the articles Hisashi
Hisashi (architecture)
In Japanese architecture the term has two meanings:* As more commonly used, the term indicates the eaves of a roof, that is, the part along the edge of a roof projecting beyond the side of the building to provide protection against the weather....
, Mokoshi
Mokoshi
In Japanese architecture a , literally "skirt story" or "cuff story", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are...
and Moya
Moya (architecture)
In Japanese architecture is the core of a building. Originally the central part of a residential building was called moya. After the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the 6th century, moya has been used to denote the sacred central area of a temple building. It is generally surrounded by aisle...
. There existed specimen with seven or nine stories, but all extant ones have either three (and are therefore called ) or five (and are called .（Tanzan Jinja in Sakurai, Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, has a pagoda having thirteen, which however for structural reasons is classified separately, and is not considered a tasōtō.) The oldest three-storied pagoda stands at Nara's Hokki-ji
Hokki-ji
— formerly known as and is a Buddhist temple in Okamoto, Ikaruga, Nara, Japan. The temple's honorary sangō prefix is , although it is rarely used. The temple was constructed to honor Avalokitesvara, and an 11-faced statue of the goddess is the primary object of worship in the temple...
and was built between 685 and 706. The oldest extant five-storied pagoda belongs to Hōryū-ji
Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as seminary and monastery both....
and was built some time during the Asuka period
Asuka period
The , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...
(538 -710). The tallest wooden tasōtō belongs to Tō-ji
To-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. Its name means East Temple, and it once had a partner, Sai-ji . They stood alongside the Rashomon, the gate to the Heian capital. It is formally known as which indicates that it previously functioned as a temple providing protection for the...
, Kyoto. It has five stories and is 54 m tall.
Hōtō
A wooden hōtō is a rare type of pagoda consisting of four parts: a low foundation stone, a cylindrical body with a rounded top, a pyramidal roof and a finialFinial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. Unlike the similar tahōtō (see section below) it has no square enclosed pent roof (mokoshi
Mokoshi
In Japanese architecture a , literally "skirt story" or "cuff story", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are...
) around its cylindrical core. Like the tahōtō it takes its name from Buddhist deity . The Hhōtō was born during the early Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, when the Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
and Shingon Buddhist sects first arrived in Japan.
There used to be many full-size hōtō, but almost only miniature ones survive, normally made of stone and/or metal. A good example of full-size hōtō can be seen at Ikegami Honmon-ji
Ikegami Honmon-ji
is a Buddhist temple in the south of Tokyo, erected where Nichiren is said to have died.A short walk from Ikegami Station or Nishi-Magome Station , Ikegami Honmon-ji contains a number of buildings, most of which have been reconstructed since the bombing of 15 March 1945...
in Nishi-magome
Nishi-magome Station
is the southern terminal of the Toei Asakusa Line, a subway line operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. It is the southernmost station of the Tokyo subway network. Its station number is A-01....
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The pagoda is 17.4 meter tall and 5.7 meter wide.
Tahōtō
Mokoshi
In Japanese architecture a , literally "skirt story" or "cuff story", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are...
.For reasons of space, however, the wall separating the mokoshi from the core of the pagoda is present only in large tahōtō called daitō (see the next section). The core of the pagoda has just one story with its ceiling below the circular second story, which is inaccessible. Like the tasōtō and the rōmon
Rōmon
The is one of two types of two-storied gate presently used in Japan . Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Its otherwise normal upper story is inaccessible and therefore offers no usable space...
, in spite of its appearance it therefore offers usable space only at the ground floor.
Because its kind does not exist either in Korea or in China, it is believed to have been invented in Japan during the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
(794 - 1185). The tahōtō was important enough to be considered one of the seven indispensable buildings (the so-called shichidō garan
Shichidō garan
is a Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed by the word , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened to just garan. To which seven halls the term refers to varies, and...
) of a Shingon temple. Kūkai
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
himself is responsible for the construction of the tahōto at Mount Kōya
Mount Koya
is the name of mountains in Wakayama Prefecture to the south of Osaka. Also, Kōya-san is a modifying word for Kongōbuji . There is no one mountain officially called Kōya-san in Japan....
's Kongōbu-ji
Kongobu-ji
Kongōbuji is the ecclesiastic head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on , Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Its name means Temple of the Diamond Mountain...
.
Daitō
Usually the base of a tahōtō is 3-kenKen (architecture)
A is a measurement in Japanese architecture. It has two principal uses:* As a proportion for intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. The word is translated in this case in English as "bay". Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5...
across with four main, supporting pillars called at the corners (see drawing). The room the shitenbashira form houses a sanctuary where the main objects of worship (the gohonzon
Gohonzon
Gohonzon , is the object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism. In Japanese, go is an honorific prefix indicating respect and honzon means object of fundamental respect, veneration, or devotion...
) are enshrined.
Larger, 5x5 ken tahōtō however exist and are called because of their dimensions. This is the only type of tahōtō to retain the original structure with a wall separating the corridor (mokoshi) from the core of the structure. This type of pagoda used to be common but, of all daitō ever built, only three are still extant. One is at Wakayama prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
's Negoro-ji
Negoro-ji
The complex of Buddhist temples stands on the side of, and is surrounded by, the sacred peaks of the Katsuragi Mountains which dominate the horizon at the northern end of the city of Iwade, Wakayama in Japan....
, another at Kongōbu-ji
Kongobu-ji
Kongōbuji is the ecclesiastic head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on , Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Its name means Temple of the Diamond Mountain...
, again in Wakayama, and the last at Kirihata-dera, Tokushima prefecture
Tokushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is the city of Tokushima.- Tokushima Prefecture and Myodo Prefecture :Long ago, Tokushima City belonged to a region known as Myōdō-gun...
. The daitō at Kongōbu-ji was founded by Shingon sect
Shingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
's Kūkai
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
. The specimen found at Negoro-ji (see photo above) is 30.85 meters tall and a National Treasure
National treasures of Japan
National Treasures are the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs...
.
Sotōba
Often offertory strips of wood with five subdivisions and covered with elaborate inscriptions called can be found at tombs in Japanese cemeteries (see photo in the gallery below). The inscriptions contain sūtraSutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
and the posthumous name of the dead person. Their name derives from the Sanskrit stūpa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
, and they can be also considered pagodas.