Taimadera Temple West Pagoda: An Early Heian Three-Storied Pagoda
Taimadera Temple West Pagoda (當麻寺西塔, Taimadera Saitō) is an early Heian-period three-storied pagoda at Taimadera in Taima, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, designated a National Treasure in 1952. It forms a pair with the East Pagoda in the same grounds, and the two are the only ancient pagodas in Japan still standing as an east-west set.
The Taimadera Temple West Pagoda stands southwest of the Golden Hall, on a terrace cut into the north slope of a ridge running east from Mount Nijo. A Nara Prefecture report gives its height as 24.1 meters from the base stones to the tip of the finial jewel, with another 1.1 meters of platform below. Because it sits on the slope, it looks taller from the temple floor than the figure suggests.
Three-Stepped Brackets and Eight Rings
Each story of the West Pagoda is three bays wide, and the roofs are laid with hongawara tiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that each story has plank doors in its central bay and that the bracket sets are the classic Mitesaki type, stepping out three times to carry the deep eaves. From below you can follow each tier of brackets as it pushes the roof further out.
Inside the first story, the central pillar is sheathed in boards painted with Buddhist figures. According to the temple, the pagoda enshrines Dainichi Nyorai.
The detail to look for is the spire. Both of Taimadera's pagodas carry only eight rings on their finials. Most Japanese pagodas stack nine, which is why the spire is often called kurin, "nine rings", and the Agency describes eight as a rare arrangement in Japan.
Dating the Pagoda, and a Theory of Rebuilding
No record gives the date of the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda. The Agency dates it to the early Heian period on stylistic grounds, and a Nara Prefecture report adds that excavation in 2000, during fire-safety works, found late ninth-century pottery in the levelling layer beneath it.
The same layer, however, also held roof tiles from Taimadera's founding in the late seventh century. Because the central pillar does not fit its foundation stone, the architectural historian Adachi Ko argued in 1933 that the present pagoda is a rebuilding, and the prefecture's report says that view cannot be ruled out.
The Agency lists repairs in 1219, 1613, 1646 and 1767, among others, and a further restoration ran from 1911 to 1914.
Gold, Silver and Gilt-Bronze Reliquaries in the Central Pillar
In June 2016 the West Pagoda went into a repair focused on re-roofing. On 10 July 2017, with the top of the spire removed, workers found a wooden lid set into the head of the central pillar. Beneath it, in a hole 17 centimeters deep, sat a copper cylinder 12.2 centimeters across and 14.2 centimeters tall.
Inside were three nested relic containers, of gilt bronze, silver and gold. The innermost, the gold one, stands about 1.2 centimeters high and holds a single relic grain wrapped in paper. Documents and coins left during the repairs of 1219 and 1767 were found with them.
The Nara National Museum judged from their shapes and the gold-silver-bronze nesting that the containers date from the late seventh century, the Hakuho period, when such sets were made; very few complete sets from that time survive. The originals were kept out of the pillar to be preserved and shown, and the relics went back into the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda in replica containers.
Why the West Pagoda Is a National Treasure
The Taimadera Temple West Pagoda was first protected in 1897 under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law and became a National Treasure in 1952 under the present law. The Agency values it, together with the East Pagoda, as one of two ancient three-storied pagodas that survive complete on the same site.
The East Pagoda is thought to be Nara period and the West Pagoda somewhat later, early Heian, and the temple points out the change in style between them. Being able to compare two pagodas of the same form, built at different times for the same temple, is what gives the pair its weight.
Seeing the West Pagoda
The temple's visitor guide does not list the interior of the West Pagoda as open, so a visit centres on the exterior. You can walk up to the rise where it stands during the grounds' opening hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., free of charge.
Two viewpoints are worth the time. From around the front of the Main Hall you can see the East and West Pagodas side by side on the hill to the south. At the foot of the West Pagoda itself, the plank doors of the first story, the three-stepped brackets and the curved panels under the eaves are close enough to study. To count the eight rings on the spire, step back a little and look up.
Ask at the Main Hall ticket desk about photography and other rules. Directions and fees for the temple as a whole are on the Taimadera page.
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Q&A
- When was the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda built?
- No record survives. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Heian period on stylistic grounds, and excavation found late ninth-century pottery beneath it. Tiles from the late seventh century were also found, and one theory holds that the pagoda was rebuilt.
- How does the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda differ from the East Pagoda?
- Both are three-bay, three-storied pagodas and both are National Treasures. The East Pagoda is thought to be Nara period and the West Pagoda early Heian, and the temple notes a change in style between them.
- Can I go inside the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda?
- The temple's visitor guide lists no interior viewing, so visitors see it from outside. The grounds are free to walk from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Why is the eight-ring spire of the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda unusual?
- Pagoda spires in Japan normally stack nine rings, which is why they are called kurin. Both pagodas at Taimadera have eight, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls rare.
- What reliquaries were found in the Taimadera Temple West Pagoda?
- During repairs in 2017, a nested set of gold, silver and gilt-bronze containers was found at the top of the central pillar. The Nara National Museum dates them to the late seventh century, and replicas were placed back in the pagoda.
Basic Information
| Name | Taimadera Temple West Pagoda (當麻寺西塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | Taima, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Treasure |
| Year Designated | 1952 (National Treasure); first protected in 1897 under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law |
| Quantity | 1 pagoda |
| Dimensions | 3 bays square, 3 stories, hongawara tile roofs; 24.1 m high from the base stones to the top of the finial |
| Owner | Taimadera Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the grounds (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., free); no interior viewing listed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taimadera West Pagoda
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2780
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taimadera East Pagoda
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2779
- Nara Prefectural Board of Education et al.: Press Release on the Reliquaries of the Taimadera West Pagoda (14 November 2018)
- https://www.pref.nara.jp/secure/204966/taima.pdf
- Taimadera Nakanobo: Visitor Guide, Walking the Grounds
- https://taimadera.org/guide/3/index.html
- Taimadera Nakanobo: Visitor Guide, the Three Main Halls
- https://taimadera.org/guide/2/index.html
- Katsuragi City: Taimadera Temple
- https://www.city.katsuragi.nara.jp/soshiki/shokokankoka/kankou/spot/6/3/2161.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
