The pagoda beside the Golden Hall
The Horyuji Temple Five-Storied Pagoda (法隆寺五重塔, Hōryū-ji Gojū-no-tō) in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, is a wooden pagoda from the end of the seventh century, first protected on December 28, 1897, and designated a National Treasure on June 9, 1951. It stands on the west side of the Western Precinct cloister, paired with the Golden Hall to its east.
Built just after the Golden Hall, it is the oldest surviving five-storied wooden pagoda. It rises about 32.5 meters from its stone platform. Its purpose is to house relics of the Buddha, which lie in a container set into a hole in the foundation stone of the central pillar.
Why it matters
The bay widths of the Horyuji pagoda, like those of the Golden Hall, are set out in a module of 7.5 sun of the old Korean foot, about 27 cm. Each side of the ground floor measures 21.18 shaku (about 6.42 meters), and the fifth storey is exactly half that. The tapering silhouette grows out of that simple arithmetic.
The brackets are the same cloud form as on the Golden Hall, minus the carved scrolls. The eaves use the same single layer of square rafters with tiles laid directly on top, which keeps the roof pitch gentle. Only the top roof now sits on a hidden frame that steepens it; originally it matched the others.
The central pillar was set as an earth-fast post on a foundation stone below ground; that buried section has since rotted away and been packed with sand. The pillar is cypress felled in 594, a date earlier than the rebuilding, and scholars still debate why such old timber was used.
Clay tableaux and a sickle in the sky
On the ground floor, a clay mountain built around the four inner pillars holds a set of sculptures made in 711. The east face shows the debate between Vimalakirti and Manjushri, the north the death of the Buddha, the west the division of his relics, and the south Maitreya preaching. The grieving disciples on the north side are vivid even through the grilles.
Look up to the spire and find the sickles hung on it. Lightning was once seen as a demon from the sky, and a sharp blade was meant to keep it away; it is one of Horyuji's "seven wonders." Lightning did set the pagoda alight in the Kamakura period without major damage, and today a lightning rod does the job.
Visiting
The pagoda is within the Western Precinct ticket area. You cannot enter, but grilles on all four sides of the ground floor let you look in at the clay scenes. Walk around in the order east, north, west, south to follow the story of the Buddha's life. Photography of the interior is not permitted.
For a full view of the tower, stand toward the southwest corner inside the cloister. Hours, tickets and directions for the temple are on the Horyuji page.
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Q&A
- How tall is the Horyuji Temple Five-Storied Pagoda?
- About 32.5 meters from its platform. Each side of the ground floor is about 6.42 meters, narrowing to half that on the fifth storey.
- Can you go inside the Horyuji Five-Storied Pagoda?
- No, but you can look through grilles on the ground floor at clay sculptures made in 711.
- How old is the central pillar of the Horyuji pagoda?
- It is cypress felled in 594, older than the rebuilt temple itself, and the reason is still debated.
- Why are there sickles on top of the Horyuji pagoda?
- Tradition says the blades were meant to ward off lightning, imagined as a sky demon. It is one of the temple's seven wonders.
- Is the Horyuji Temple Five-Storied Pagoda a National Treasure?
- Yes. It was first protected on December 28, 1897, and designated a National Treasure on June 9, 1951.
Basic Information
| Name | Horyuji Temple Five-Storied Pagoda (Hōryū-ji Gojū-no-tō) |
|---|---|
| Location | Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Treasure |
| Year Designated | Important Cultural Property 1897/12/28 (Meiji 30, under the earlier law); National Treasure 1951/6/9 (Showa 26) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Five-storied pagoda, 3 bays square, mokoshi on the ground floor, tile roofs, boarded mokoshi roof; about 32.5 meters from the platform |
| Owner | Horyuji Temple |
| Public Access | Within the Western Precinct ticket area; no entry, clay sculptures viewed through grilles |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Horyuji Five-Storied Pagoda
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2683
- Cultural Heritage Online — Horyuji Five-Storied Pagoda
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/db/heritages/detail/195340
- Japan Tourism Agency Multilingual Commentary Database — Five-Storied Pagoda
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/R1-00170.html
- Japan Tourism Agency Multilingual Commentary Database — Clay Sculptures in the Pagoda
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/R1-00201.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
