Gohōtendō (Important Cultural Property) 護法天堂（重要文化財）

This bronze pillar symbolizes a prayer for peace. Records indicate that the pillar once contained 1,000 copies of the Lotus Sutra.

Saichō (767–822), the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan, had built six such pillars in the ninth century, to spiritually protect the country. This additional pillar was built in 1643 by Tenkai (1536?–1643), the fifty-third abbot of Nikkōzan, on the order of Iemitsu (1604–1651), the third Tokugawa shogun. It was originally located near the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu (1543–1616). The pillar is 13.7 meters tall and resembles the finial, or top, of a pagoda.

Five-Storied Pagoda (Important Cultural Property)

Although pagodas are typically associated with Buddhist temples, this one stands at the entrance to Tōshōgū, a Shinto shrine. It is one of the many architectural reminders of how deeply Shinto and Buddhism were integrated at Nikkōzan until after the government-mandated separation of the two religions in 1868. It enshrines the Five Wisdom Buddhas, which are particularly important in Tendai Buddhism. The current structure was built in 1815 after the original 1650 pagoda burned down.