Hokkiji Temple Three-Storied Pagoda

Japan's Oldest Three-Storied Pagoda

The Hokkiji Temple Three-Storied Pagoda (法起寺三重塔) is a three-storied pagoda of 684 to 706 in Okamoto, Ikaruga Town, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture, and was designated a National Treasure on June 9, 1951 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a three-bay, three-storied pagoda roofed in hongawara tiles; designation number 00030.

Dated by a Pagoda Inscription

Hokkiji was also known as Okamotodera and Ikejiridera (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to an inscription on the pagoda's roof plate, quoted in a medieval account of Prince Shotoku, the priest Eshi began building the halls and pagoda in 685 and the roof plate was made in 706; the pagoda is thought to date from that time.

The Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual descriptions give its height as about 24 metres and note that it is the only building left from the temple's founding. In contrast to the layout of Horyuji, it stands east of the main hall, which no longer survives.

Why It Is a National Treasure

As the oldest surviving three-storied pagoda in Japan, it was designated on December 28, 1897, under the old system and became a National Treasure on June 9, 1951 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is also part of the World Heritage site "Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area".

Close Ties to the Horyuji Pagoda

Its plan dimensions roughly match the first, third and fifth storeys of the five-storied pagoda of Horyuji, a National Treasure, and its cloud-shaped brackets show a close relationship with Horyuji (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Since the three-storied pagoda of Horinji was destroyed by lightning fire in 1944, this pagoda has been the oldest surviving three-storied pagoda in Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

What to Look For

Look for the cloud-shaped brackets and the proportions of each storey, which echo the Horyuji pagoda (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

No official information from the temple on visiting hours or fees was confirmed.