Daihoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda
Daihoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda (interior)
Daihoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda
JAPAN, Nagano, Chiisagata
It is located on a hill behind Daijoji (Great Dharma Temple). The records state that the same craftsmen who built Shitennoji Temple in Osaka constructed this pagoda in 1333 during the Kamakura period. In 1953 the pagoda was listed as a National Treasure.
The three-by-three bay, square pagoda has a roof covered with cypress bark. The second and third stories are surrounded by low balustrades. The first story has two-tier bracket sets supporting the roof structure, while the second and third stories have three-tier bracket sets. Inside the first story of the pagoda, the area before the Buddha statue is wide and spacious. There is a statue of Vairocana Buddha enshrined on a Sumeru throne. The ceiling is elevated and has a grid pattern with coffering. The interior once contained colored paintings but they have mostly peeled off the walls.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture A-F, page 196.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Lancaster, Lewis,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture A-F},
pages = 196,
title = {{Daihoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda}},
volume = 1,
year = {2016}}