Japanese pagoda
Pagodas in Japan are called tō (塔, lit. pagoda), sometimes buttō (仏塔, lit. Buddhist pagoda) or tōba (塔婆, lit. pagoda), and derive historically from the
Of the Japanese pagoda's many forms, some are built in wood and are collectively known as mokutō (木塔, lit. wood pagoda), but most are carved out of stone (sekitō (石塔, lit. stone pagoda). Wood pagodas are large buildings with either two stories (like the tahōtō (多宝塔, lit. Tahō pagoda), see photo below) or an odd number of stories. Extant wood pagodas with more than two storeys have almost always either three stories (and are therefore called sanjū-no-tō (三重塔, lit. three-storeyed pagoda)) or five (and are called gojū-no-tō (五重塔, lit. five-storeyed pagoda). Stone pagodas are nearly always small, usually well below 3 metres, and as a rule offer no usable space. If they have more than one storey, pagodas are called tasōtō (多層塔, lit. multi-storied pagoda) or tajūtō (多重塔, lit. multi-storied pagoda).
A pagoda's size is measured in
History
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
sect arrived in Japan and their temples do not normally include a pagoda.Pagodas originally were reliquaries and did not contain sacred images, but in Japan many, for example
Design and structure evolution
The edge of a pagoda's eaves forms a straight line, with each following edge being shorter than the other. The more difference in length (a parameter called teigen (逓減, gradual diminution) in Japanese) between stories, the more solid and secure the pagoda seems to be. Both teigen and the finial are greater in older pagodas, giving them a sense of solidity.[5] 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 stone base (心礎, shinso) over which stood the main pillar (心柱, shinbashira). Around it would be erected the first storey'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.[5] In later eras, all of the supporting structures would be erected at once, and later to them were fixed parts of more cosmetic function.[5]
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 storey to allow the opening of a room.[2][5]
Their role within the temple declined gradually while they were being functionally replaced by
Loss of importance of the pagoda within the garan
Because of the relics they contained, wooden pagodas used to be the centerpiece of the garan, the seven edifices considered indispensable for a temple.[7] They gradually lost 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.[7] 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
Tasōtō or tajūtō
With a few very rare exceptions, tasōtō (also called tajūtō, 多層塔) have an odd number of stories, normally comprised between three and thirteen.
- Media related to Tasōtō at Wikimedia Commons
Hōtō
A hōtō (宝塔, lit. jewel stupa) is a pagoda consisting of four parts: a low foundation stone, a cylindrical body with a rounded top, a four-sided roof and a
There used to exist full-size hōtō, but almost only miniature ones survive, normally made of stone and/or metal.[10]
- Media related to Hōtō at Wikimedia Commons
Gorintō
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
- Media related to gorintō at Wikimedia Commons
Hōkyōintō
The hōkyōintō tradition in Japan is believed to have begun during the
- Media related to Hōkyōintō at Wikimedia Commons
Muhōtō or rantō
The muhōtō (無縫塔, lit. no stitch tower) or rantō (卵塔, lit. egg tower) 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.
- Media related to Muhōtō at Wikimedia Commons
Kasatōba
A kasatōba (笠塔婆, umbrella stupa) (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 wheel.[14]
- Media related to Kasatōba at Wikimedia Commons
Sōrintō
The sōrintō (相輪橖) is a type of small pagoda consisting just of a pole and a sōrin.
Wooden pagodas
Tasōtō
- Media related to tasōtō at Wikimedia Commons
Hōtō
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.[10]
- Media related to Hōtō at Wikimedia Commons
Tahōtō
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.[note 5][5] The core of the pagoda has just one storey with its ceiling below the circular second storey, which is inaccessible. Like the tasōtō and the rōmon, in spite of its appearance it therefore offers usable space only at the ground floor.[5]
Because its kind does not exist either in Korea or in China, it is believed to have been invented in Japan during the
Daitō
Larger, 5x5 ken tahōtō however exist and are called daitō (大塔, lit. large pagoda) 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
Sotōba
Often offertory strips of wood with five subdivisions and covered with elaborate inscriptions called sotōba (卒塔婆) can be found at tombs in Japanese cemeteries (see photo in the gallery below).
- Media related to Sotōba at Wikimedia Commons
Gallery of pagodas in Japan
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A gorintō
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A hōkyōintō
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A hōtō
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A stone tasōtō
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Two kasatōba at Hannya-ji, Nara
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Ichijō-ji's sanjū-no-tō (three storied pagoda). It was built in 1171.
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Murō-ji's gojū-no-tō (five storied pagoda). It was built in 800.
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A pagoda at a Shinto shrine, Itsukushima Shrine
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A sotōba. Clearly visible is the division in five sections
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A sorintō
See also
- Shinbashira, the suspended wooden column inside
Notes
- ^ Odd numbers are strongly favoured by Chinese numerology and Buddhism. They are supposed to represent yang, that is, the male and positive principle, and are therefore considered lucky.
- ^ Temple compound, ideally composed of seven buildings.
- ^ Besides being decorative in themselves,they are also used also to hide structural components which would otherwise mar the pagoda's feel.
- Moya.
- ^ 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).
References
- ^ a b c d e Iwanami Kōjien Japanese dictionary
- ^ a b c d Jaanus, Tou
- ^ Hamashima, Masashi (1999). Jisha Kenchiku no Kanshō Kiso Chishiki (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shibundō. p. 88.
- ISBN 4-8122-9805-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Fujita & Koga 2008, pp. 79–81
- ^ Scheid, Japanische Pagoden
- ^ ISBN 4-333-01684-3.
- ^ a b JAANUS, Sekitou
- ^ JAANUS, Tasoutou
- ^ a b c d JAANUS, Houtou
- ^ a b JAANUS - Gorintou
- ^ a b c d Yatsushiro Municipal Museum
- ^ JAANUS - Muhoutou
- ^ JAANUS - Kasatouba
- ^ a b JAANUS, Daitou
Bibliography
- Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version
- "JAANUS". Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- Fujita Masaya, Koga Shūsaku, ed. (April 10, 1990). Nihon Kenchiku-shi (in Japanese) (September 30, 2008 ed.). Shōwa-dō. ISBN 4-8122-9805-9.
- Scheid, Bernhard. "Japanische Pagoden" (in German). University of Vienna. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- Shinkō no Katachi - Hōkyōintō, Yatsushiro Municipal Museum, accessed on September 18, 2008 (in Japanese)