What sōrin means
The sōrin is the spire standing on top of a pagoda roof. It is usually built up, from the bottom, of a base plate, an inverted bowl, a lotus, nine stacked rings, a flame-shaped openwork piece called suien, and a jewel, all threaded on a central shaft. On timber pagodas it is usually of metal; on stone pagodas it is carved in stone.
The spire marks the pagoda as a building that enshrines relics and is said to derive from the parasols crowning the Indian stupa. It is popularly called kurin, nine rings, although strictly that name belongs to the ring section alone. It crowns three- and five-storied pagodas and Tahōtō as well as stone monuments such as the Hōtō and Hōkyōintō.
Reading the records
Records note the design of the spire and its repairs. The commentary on the east pagoda of Yakushiji praises its suien carved with heavenly musicians. The tahōtō of Jodoji in Onomichi, Hiroshima, is recorded as having had its spire replaced in 1688, and many copies of the Lotus Sutra written by donors at its building had been placed inside the spire. At Enryakuji in Otsu, Shiga, a bronze sōrin stands on its own on the ground as a separate structure, designated an Important Cultural Property. On stone hōkyōintō, too, records such as that for a monument designated by Kakogawa City note the condition of the spire.
Spires are often replaced and may not date from the same period as the pagoda, so check the record or repair report for the spire's date.
References
- 薬師寺東塔｜文化遺産オンライン
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/123477
- 浄土寺多宝塔｜文化遺産オンライン
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/148321
- 延暦寺相輪橖｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1325
- 石造宝篋印塔（加古川市指定）｜文化遺産オンライン
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/229238
Last verified: 2026.09.26