Five-Story Pagoda (Goju no To) 五重塔

Note the scythes attached to the upper roof of the pagoda. Lightning was once considered a celestial monster, so swords and implements with sharp edges were added to this pagoda; it was believed that this would prevent creatures from the sky from alighting on them. These are rarely seen on other pagodas and are considered one of the “seven mysteries” of Horyuji. The pagoda was struck by lightning during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), but was unharmed. After that, talismans were hung on each level and four sickles were attached below to protect against future strikes. Today lightning rods protect the building.

Five-story Pagoda

Five-story Pagoda

National Treasure

The origins of the pagodas can be traced back to the stupas of ancient India, and are architectural structures that ultimately derive from burial mounds. They are used to enshrine the relics of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, and serve as reminders of the presence of the Buddha’s teachings in this world.

The Kofukuji Five-story Pagoda was originally erected in 730 by Empress Komyo (701–760), the daughter of Kofukuji’s founding patron, Fujiwara no Fuhito (659–720). Over its long history, it burned down a total of five times, with the current reconstruction dating to 1426. At 50.1 meters, it is the second-tallest wooden pagoda in Japan today. Famous for its deep eaves, the structure successfully blends references to architecture of the Nara period (710–794) with the dynamic architectural style of the Muromachi period (1136–1573) during which it was last rebuilt.

The pagoda houses sculptures of the Four Buddhas of the Four Directions, each flanked by two bodhisattvas. This represents a Mahayana Buddhist conception of time and space. The north-south axis represents the progression of time, and the east-west axis represents space. The Buddha of the past, Shakyamuni, is in the south, and Maitreya (Jp. Miroku), the Buddha of the Future, is in the north. Amida, the Buddha of the Western Realm of Ultimate Bliss is in the west, and Yakushi, lord of the Eastern Pure Beryl Radiance Realm, is in the east. The intersection of the two axes is here and now in this world and at its fulcrum is the central pillar, which rests on a stone foundation. It is not known if relics of Shakyamuni are interred in the foundation or in another location.

Miniature Five-Story Pagoda

The Hōrinkan’s intricately detailed five-story pagoda (gojūnotō) is a National Treasure. At a glance, the pagoda may appear to have been made recently, but in fact the majority of its components date to the Nara period (710–794). Though it is only 5.5 meters tall, both its interior and exterior perfectly replicate the architecture and joinery of full-sized five-story pagodas.

Due in part to the structure’s age, it is not known exactly when or why it was built. It is thought that the pagoda was made at the request of Empress Kōmyō (701–760) and was originally kept in Gangōji’s Nishi Shōtōin (“West Pagoda Hall”). Even so, the purpose of its creation is still unclear. For many years, it was believed to be a one-tenth scale model of the pagoda that once stood on the southeastern part of Gangōji’s grounds. This connection was disproven in 1927, when surveys of the larger pagoda’s foundations revealed that they had very different relative dimensions.

A second theory suggests that the miniature pagoda may have fulfilled the same function as a full-scale version. Five-story pagodas are derived from Indian stupas, which were originally built to mark and protect relics of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Similarly, Japan’s five-story pagodas are built to hold Buddhist relics called busshari. These reliquary pagodas stand in the east and west of most temples in Nara, but in the case of Gangōji, records show only an eastern pagoda. Therefore, it is possible that the small pagoda kept in the West Pagoda Hall was not the model for a larger structure, but the structure itself. Appropriately, the miniature pagoda now houses busshari that were donated from Sri Lanka in 1966.