kaisantou　開山塔

KEY WORD :　architecture / buildings & structures

Lit. founder's pagoda. A rare type of wooden pagoda *houtou 宝塔, constructed at Jikouji 慈光寺, a Tendai 天台 sect temple in Saitama prefecture. The pagoda is dated 1556 and is the lone surviving example of a mid-16c houtou. It is about 10.6m in diameter. It has a circular structure with eight circular pillars and doors on four sides. It is 16m high. The pagoda is constructed on four heavy beams forming a grid *dodai 土台, and balanced on large stones. There is a railing placed above the round body of the structure. The eight circular posts rise from the first story to the second story. The upper story is the same as that on another type of pagoda called *tahoutou 多宝塔. It has 4-stepped bracket complexes *yotesaki tokyou 四手先斗きょう, double eaves *futanoki 二軒, closely spaced rafters *shigedaruki 繁垂木, and a rough, boarded roof *tochibuki 栩葺.

REFERENCES:

EXTERNAL LINKS:

NOTES:

(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。