The Japanese
Pagoda
Pagodas are several tiered towers that are prevalent throughout
eastern countries, which include India, China, Korea, Vietnam, and
of course, the focus of this article, the pagodas that are found in
Japan.These towers characteristically have multiple stories (having
three or five tiers is common for Japanese pagodas) with
beautifully designed eaves. The design and shape of the pagodas
found in Japan will be further discussed later in this article.
Origins of the Pagoda
It is thought that
pagodas originated in India though many would believe, due to the
name, that it was first created in China or Japan. The predecessors
of the pagoda, called stupa, were first created in India. This
concept of a tiered structure then passed through Korea and China,
which eventually made its way to Japan approximately 1,300 years
ago.
Though the general idea of the many tiers still remains, the shape
of the stupa differs greatly from the pagodas that can be seen
standing in Japan today.The stupa, which can be translated to 'tuft
of hair' or 'pile or mound' in Sanskrit, were used as relics that
would generally be placed over the ashes of holy individuals,
including Buddha. A stupa is generally a five-tiered system, of
which each tier is a different shape that represents a different
element.
The idea of having the representation of the five elements, though
not done through various shaped tiers, may also be seen in Goju no
Tou (or gojunotou), which are five-story pagodas in Japan.
Similarly, three-story pagodas, which are also fairly common, are
known as Sanju no Tou.
As aforementioned, the stupa was used as an important relic in
Buddhism, which has had a great deal of influence in Japan. Some of
the Buddhist temples that are found in Japan today will feature a
pagoda, in particular, one that contains the five tiers. The number
of stories is significant in that, as does the stupa, the tiers can
represent the five elements, the godai. The godai are as follows:
chi (earth), sui (water), ka (fire), fu (wind), and ku (void, sky,
or in some cases, heaven).
The bottom story of the pagoda will represent earth, working its
way up to the top story representing sky. The finial (the spire at
the top of the pagoda) is also separated into five sections as
well.
Structure of the Pagoda
The structure of the
pagoda is both amazing and important to their still-standing
structures today. All pagodas are made out of wood, an important
feature since it adds to their flexibility, which is one of the key
reasons that pagodas can stay standing during earthquakes in Japan.
The one fall back of using wood as the entire structure is that
pagodas are extremely susceptible to fire, which is the reason that
many pagodas are no longer in existence today. As well, pagodas use
relatively few nails to hold the structure together, and rely
greatly on slots to fit pieces together, allowing even more
flexibility to the structure.
The general architecture of the pagoda starts with a square base at
the bottom and as more stories are added, the next level gets
progressively smaller. Each level has twelve pillars, known as
gawarabashi, which are enclosed by what are essentially boxes that
lack bottoms. But since each level becomes smaller, the gawarabashi
also move inwards towards the center of the pagoda, and are
therefore supported by horizontal bases. These horizontal bases are
then supported by diagonal beams, known as tanuki. The tanuki start
inside the pagoda and slant diagonally downwards to the outside of
the buildings. The portion of the tanuki that protrudes from the
pagoda is what is used to support the large eaves of each tier. Due
to this design, the eaves act as a counterweight, balancing out the
weight put on the tanuki by the gawarabashi that are supporting a
level of the pagoda.
The eaves are extremely heavy, due to the vast number of tiles that
are laid across its surface, and thus makes a perfect counterweight
for the tanuki. This then brings about one problem. If each eave is
supported by the level above itself, what happens to the eave that
is located at the top of the pagoda?
To solve this problem, a finial, or spire, made of copper or iron
is placed at the very top of the pagoda, and is used as the
counterweight for the uppermost eave. The final important piece of
the pagoda, and something that is very rarely seen in pagodas in
China and Korea, is the shinbashira, the central pillar that runs
through the center of the pagoda from the bottom to the top. All of
these pieces together create a structure that has floors which are
able to sway independently of one another, yet another aspect
important to the strength pagodas show when it comes to earthquakes
and typhoons in Japan.
Modern Life with Pagodas
Today, in Japan, stands
the Horyuji Temple, built around the year 607 to honor one of the
leaders of Japan who died from an illness. In 1993 this temple was
given the honor of being considered a national heritage site by
UNESCO. The temple contains many different sections, but in the
Sai-in area of the Horyuji temple stands a Goju no Tou (five-story
pagoda), which is one of the oldest wood buildings in the world.
This pagoda stands at a height of 32.45 meters (122 feet), and has
an approximated weight at three full tons.
Another well-known Goju no Tou that was built in 1644 is at Toji
(or Eastern Temple), yet another national heritage site marked by
UNESCO in 1994. This pagoda is the tallest wooden tower that exists
in Japan today, spanning a height of 57 meters (180 feet); however,
it is not the tallest pagoda that has ever existed. Some pagodas,
which were destroyed by fires in the past had reached tremendous
heights. Examples of such is an octagonal, nine-story pagoda that
stood 83 meters (approximately 270 feet) and the pagoda of
Shokokuji, a seven-tiered structure which is estimated to have been
108 meters (355 feet) tall.
We would like to expand this editorial once again, please let us
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on. Thank you to all of the educational institutions and
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