Kairyuoji Temple Five-Storied Miniature Pagoda

A Four-Metre Pagoda in the Style of the Early Nara Period

The Kairyuoji Temple Five-Storied Miniature Pagoda (海竜王寺五重小塔) is a miniature five-storied pagoda once kept inside the West Golden Hall of the Nara period (Tenpyo era) in Hokkejicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and was designated a National Treasure on June 9, 1951 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a five-storied pagoda three bays square roofed with boards shaped like tiles, designated together with two scrolls of the Lotus Sutra in a wooden box and two rafter-end fittings; designation number 00018.

The Agency record also gives an earlier designation date of August 2, 1901, the date of its designation under the former law.

Brackets like Those of Yakushiji's East Pagoda

The miniature five-storied pagoda of Kairyuoji was originally kept inside the temple's West Golden Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its three-step brackets of a not yet fully developed type, its eaves and its ceilings closely resemble those of the East Pagoda of Yakushiji, a National Treasure, and it preserves the style of the early Nara period well.

In a repair of 1907 the missing finial and the base below were restored (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Two boxed scrolls of the Lotus Sutra written in red were found inside. The ends of the rafters were fitted with decorative metal caps, two of which survive. The Japan Tourism Agency gives its height as 4 metres, describes it as the sole survivor of a pair that stood in the East and West Golden Halls, and notes that it is thought to be the smallest and oldest indoor five-storied pagoda in Japan.

Why It Is a National Treasure

The Agency notes that, small as it is, its exterior follows proper architectural methods, showing the early Nara style well, and being well preserved it is a valuable record of the building techniques of the time.

What to Look For

Look for the three-step brackets so like those of Yakushiji's East Pagoda and the metal caps left on the rafter ends (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Kairyuoji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found. The miniature pagoda, West Golden Hall and sutra repository are introduced together on the Kairyuoji Temple page.