Art Institute of Chicago

Buddhist Tower in Form of a Pagoda (Hokyointo)

JapanLinkedCulture matchlcp-59ff16a8c9fa

Date

13th century

Medium

Granite

Culture

Japan

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Object ID

71783

The hokyointo is one of the earliest known types of stone pagoda in East Asia. Like other forms of pagoda, the design and function of this Buddhist monument originated in the ancient Indian memorial mounds (stupa), which were constructed to enshrine sacred remains or relics of the Buddha. In Japan distinct forms of multistoried stone and wood pagodas evolved to memorialize great Buddhist teachers and holy persons and to contain sacred texts (sutra). This hokyointo shows several early Kamakura period features, including the straight configuration of the petal-like projections, the Sanskrit characters carved on the vertical surfaces of the base, and the curved window frames, which are based on wood architecture.

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