Stone Pagodas are well known in
China, Korea and Japan where they often are placed in front of a Buddhist
temple or within the temple surroundings.
Similar in shape to the wooden constructions the stone pagoda made from
granite are durable and tend to survive fire out brakes which are a major
cause of destruction to temples in earthquake plagued Japan.
Pagodas are usually placed on a hillside or next to a path in an Eastern
themed garden.
A Pagoda or Stupa serves as a memorial to Buddha honoring his life and
teachings throughout Asia.
(Katsura, Japan)
Most pagodas have an odd
number of tiers, however, there are also famous examples such as the
Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda in the National Museum in Seoul/Korea, which is
made out of marvel and has ten tiers.
The Chinese understood the elements as different types of energy in a
state of constant interaction.
Although it is
usually translated as "element" the Chinese word 'xing' literally
means "changing states of being". This is explained as follows:
Wood feeds fire
Fire creates
earth (ash)
Earth bears metal
Metal collects
water
Water nourishes
wood
XHL-10
Tougata
On three-tiered stupa, only
the elements of the earth, water and fire are symbolized.
In Gyeongju, South Korea, the Bulguksa is
a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in the North
Gyeongsang province. It is home to seven National treasures of South
Korea, including Dabotap and Seokgatap stone pagodas.
The tree-story Seokgatap pagoda stands 8.2 meters high. It was completed
probably around 751, when Bulguksa was completed.
The pagoda is of a very simple and basic design and the three stories
have a pleasing 4:3:2 ratio which gives the pagoda a sense of balance,
stability, and symmetry.
(click
to enlarge picture)
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Gojunotou
Five tiered Stupas
represent the five natural elements of the universe, earth, water,
fire, wind and metal.
The top nine
rings as seen on the Gojunotou pagoda relate to the nine
heavens of Buddhism. A lotus flower, the symbol for Buddha, crowns
the top of the Pagoda.
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Senganen,
also known as Isoteien, is a Japanese style landscaped garden. Located
at the foot of a wooded hill near Kagoshima, Kyushu
this garden is the perfect place to have a nice view onto the volcano
Sakurajima and to enjoy the blossom from over 400 cherry trees.
The garden contains
beautiful former residential buildings and a small museum dedicated to
the Shimazu Clan, which ruled Kagoshima for almost 700 years.
A Gojunotou pagoda
with 5 tiers is dominating for the high spot this traditional Japanese
garden.
(click
to enlarge picture)
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Juusansoto
The Name 'Juusansoto'
is related to the Japanese number 13 (juu san) as this pagoda has
a total of 13 tiers.
East of the Umamachi intersection in Kyoto
are a series of small hills upon which originally stood the two stone
pagodas on the left. Today they are in the garden of the
National Museum In Kyoto.
The pagoda in Kyoto is about six meters in height. Each layer of the
pagoda is a separate block of stone which are simply stacked on top of
one another. On top of the uppermost roof is a spire, or "finial."
The top nine
rings as seen relate to the nine
heavens of Buddhism. A lotus flower, the symbol for Buddha, crowns
the top of the Pagoda.
It took the highest level of technical
skill to create the perfectly flat surfaces of each layer. The very hard
and heavy granite stone from which they are built helps keep each layer
in place, but without perfect balance, the pagoda would fall down like a
stack of blocks!
(click
to enlarge picture)
The Japanese art of illumination has
attracted artists for centuries. This ukiyo-e, a Japanese woodblock
created by the Shin Hanga Master Hasui Kawase in the years between
1946-57 displays a temple gate with stone lantern and figures in the
rain.
On the background of the image a big wooden pagoda is seen through
the mist. Japanese woodblock prints are called hanga where Han means 'a
printing block', and ga is a 'picture'.
The 20th century 'shin hanga'
prints follow a long tradition of creating ukiyo-e since the 17th
century.
The
Shinzentouron stone lantern is often seen
in the area of Kyoto, Mt. Heie and Takayama. Hida Takayama is
located in the northern part of Gifu Prefecture.
(Katsura, Japan)
