FIVE STORIED PAGODA (Next to HOKOKU SHRINE)

FIVE STORIED PAGODA

Built in 1407

Height: 28.38 meters (94.6 ft)

It was originally developed as stupa.

It has changed its shape from India through China, Korea to Japan. It had developed 5 storied buildings in China.

Originally meant as a gravestone for Gautama Budda and told the ashes of Budda are buried underneath.

5 stories come from Buddhist cosmology and each floor describes ..

1st. Earth

2nd. Water(Nature)

3rd. Fire

4th. Wind

5th. Sky(Heaven)

There are twenty-two Five Storied Pagodas in Japan and this is the seventh oldest of them. One piece of the evidence was found that was written “1533” and emperor Era name in the fundamental part of sealing. This means repair or rebuild was already performed in 1533.

 

SHINBASHIRA (Center Pillar System)

Generally, the Five Storied Pagoda has a center pillar inside of it to reduce aiming earthquake damage. There are various methods to settle Shinbashira on it.

  1. Place Shinbashira to the bottom of the fundamental structure.
  2. Hanging Shinbashira from the top. 
  3. Place Shinbashira on the first floor beam.

There were no Three Storied Pagoda with center pillars that were not damaged by the Huge earthquake in HYOKO 1995 and made of concrete was cracked.

 

APPLY TO TOKYO SKY TREE

Tokyo Sky Tree applied a similar Shinbashira method to reduce earthquake shake.

 

SHINBASHIRA FOR BUDDHIST BELIEF

Another perspective is that Shinbashira is just for belief. 

 

The center pillar here is half the length of the general one and I don’t know why.  Another perspective is that Shinbashira is just for belief. 

 The center pillar here is half the length of the general one and I don’t know why.