What Is the Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda?
The Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda (談山神社十三重塔, Tanzan-jinja Jūsanjū-no-tō) is a wooden pagoda of thirteen roofs in the grounds of Tanzan Shrine at Tonomine, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, rebuilt in 1532 and designated as an Important Cultural Property on April 7, 1900. The national record classes it as a temple building, a reminder that it belonged to the Buddhist complex of Tōnomine Myōrakuji before the site became a shrine.
According to the shrine, the first pagoda was built in 678 by Jōe, eldest son of Fujiwara no Kamatari, to honour his father. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the whole precinct as a former temple centred on a thirteen-storied pagoda said to be Kamatari's grave marker, so the tower sits at the very origin of the mountain's history. What stands today is the late Muromachi-period rebuilding that followed repeated fires.
Why It Is Designated
The national database records the Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda as a pagoda three bays square with thirteen roofs, all of them covered in Hiwadabuki, Japanese cypress bark. Two ridge tags (munafuda) connected with its rebuilding are designated with it as attached items.
The shrine calls it the only surviving wooden thirteen-storied pagoda in the world, and Nara Prefecture's tourism site likewise presents it as the sole surviving old pagoda of thirteen wooden tiers. Thirteen-tiered pagodas carved in stone are found across Japan, but by both accounts no other old example built of timber survives.
Nara Prefecture's tourism site gives its height as about 17 metres. A five-storied pagoda of similar height carries fewer than half as many roofs, which shows how tightly the tiers here are packed. The Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1900, only a few years after national protection of temple and shrine buildings began under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law, which places it among the early buildings to be protected.
What to Look For
Start with the silhouette. Only the first storey has a tall body of visible posts and walls; from the second storey up, the cypress-bark roofs stack almost on top of one another, each overhang a little shorter than the one below, narrowing to the Sōrin finial at the top.
The Shinbyō Haisho, once the temple's lecture hall, stands directly south of the pagoda and faces it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out this arrangement as rare, and standing in front of the hall puts you on the axis of the old temple plan. The Gonden Hall, the former Jōgyōdō, sits immediately to the west; seen together, the two help you picture the western half of the temple as it was.
The bark roofs change with the light and the season. In autumn the red maples close in around the brown eaves; after snow, each of the thirteen roof edges carries a white line, and the tiers become easy to count. Counting them from the bottom is a good way to slow down and read the details.
Visiting
The Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda stands inside the paid area of the grounds and can be viewed from outside at any time during opening hours. The interior is not regularly open, and the shrine website gives no notice of openings. No official rule on photography was found, but it is courteous to put the camera away during ceremonies and prayers.
From the main entrance office, climb the steps to the front of the Shinbyō Haisho; the pagoda rises just behind it. Opening hours, fees and transport are covered on the Tanzan Shrine page.
Q&A
- Is the Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda really the only wooden thirteen-storied pagoda in the world?
- Tanzan Shrine describes it as the only surviving wooden thirteen-storied pagoda in the world, and Nara Prefecture's tourism site presents it the same way. The present pagoda was rebuilt in 1532.
- How tall is the Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda?
- About 17 metres, according to Nara Prefecture's tourism site. Because thirteen roofs fit into that height, the tiers sit very close together.
- Can I go inside the Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda?
- No, the interior is not regularly open. Once inside the grounds during opening hours, you can view the exterior freely.
- When was the pagoda at Tanzan Shrine designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On April 7, 1900. Two ridge tags connected with its rebuilding are included in the designation.
- Who built the Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda?
- According to the shrine, Jōe, eldest son of Fujiwara no Kamatari, built the first pagoda in 678 to honour his father. The present tower is a late Muromachi-period rebuilding.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda (談山神社十三重塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | Tonomine, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture (Tanzan Shrine grounds) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1900/4/7 (Meiji 33) |
| Quantity | 1 structure (with 2 ridge tags) |
| Dimensions | Three bays square, thirteen roofs, cypress-bark roofing; about 17 metres tall |
| Owner | Tanzan Shrine |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable during opening hours (admission charged); interior closed |
References
- Tanzan Shrine Thirteen-Storied Pagoda (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/2625
- Tanzan Shrine, Sosha Main Hall and commentary (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/2638
- History of Tanzan Shrine (Tanzan Shrine official site, Japanese)
- https://www.tanzan.or.jp/rekishi.html
- Shrine buildings (Tanzan Shrine official site, Japanese)
- https://www.tanzan.or.jp/tatemono.html
- Recommended route and precinct map (Tanzan Shrine official site, Japanese)
- https://www.tanzan.or.jp/model-course.html
- Tanzan Shrine (Nara Prefecture official tourism site, Japanese)
- https://yamatoji.nara-kankou.or.jp/01shaji/01jinja/03east_area/tanzanjinja/
Last verified: 2026.10.29
