LIST

Commentary

This is the Five-storied Pagoda; it is an important cultural property. Standing approximately 43 meters high from the base to the finial, it is the third highest wooden pagoda in Japan. Since it was first erected, the pagoda has been rebuilt several times due to its collapse or destruction by fire; the current pagoda is the fourth version that was completed in 1902. The Five Dhyani Buddhas (Vairochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and Amogasiddhi), which are central to Esoteric Buddhist teachings and ideologies, are enshrined inside the pagoda. Unlike other generic many-tiered wooden towers, each level in this five-storied pagoda has a high ceiling, so that people can also stand and walk inside it; many used to climb to the fifth level to enjoy the view from the top. It was constructed using a suspension structure (kensui koho), with the pagoda’s central pillar hanging from the back of the roof only by chains. This creates a distinctive structure that makes the pillar floating from the foundation stone at the base.

Designated Section

Important cultural property

Structure

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Era

Meiji Period; Meiji 35 (1902)

Address

3-3-1 Zentsuji-cho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture