Kaijusenji Temple: Five-Storied Pagoda 海住山寺：五重塔

Official explanation

The Five-Storied Pagoda of Kaijusenji Temple is a Japanese National Treasure. It is a rare remaining example of Kamakura period (1185–1333) temple architecture, standing at about 17.7 m. The pagoda was constructed to serve as a reliquary for busshari, the precious physical remains of Shaka Nyorai, the historical Buddha otherwise known as Prince Siddhartha. When Prince Siddhartha died, his body was cremated by his disciples. In 1214, Jokei (1155–1213), an influential Buddhist monk, bestowed two pieces of busshari he received from the emperor to Kaijusenji Temple. This five-storied pagoda was built to enshrine them.

The original construction did not include a mokoshi (skirt story, or secondary roof), but one was added decades later. The mokoshi was lost during later reconstruction. Finally, when the pagoda was restored in 1962, the mokoshi was installed once again. This additional roof is one of the unique features of this pagoda. Of the five-storied pagodas built since the Edo period that have a mokoshi, this is one of only two that remain. The pagoda used to house Kaijusenji Temple’s Four Heavenly Kings (Shitenno), but these statues are now at the Nara National Museum.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.