Wooden 10,000-Section Pagoda (with Lotus Seat)

Wooden Ichiman-setsutō (Ten-Thousand-Pagoda Marker) with Lotus Base at Hōryū-ji

Hidden within the great treasury of Hōryū-ji Temple in Ikaruga, Nara, stands a small but extraordinary wooden pagoda known as the Ichiman-setsutō (一万節塔), or "Ten-Thousand-Section Pagoda." Designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, this seven-tiered miniature tower is a unique survivor from one of the most ambitious Buddhist projects ever undertaken in East Asia: the creation of one million wooden pagodas, the Hyakumantō (百万塔), commissioned by Empress Shōtoku in the 8th century. While the standard pagodas of this project were produced in vast numbers, the Ichiman-setsutō is a singular artifact, made as a special marker for every ten thousand of those small pagodas. Together with the dharani scrolls inside its kindred pagodas, it stands at the very origin of printed culture in the world.

Historical Background: Empress Shōtoku and the Million-Pagoda Vow

The story of the Ichiman-setsutō begins in turbulent times. In the year 764, a power struggle in the Nara court culminated in the Rebellion of Fujiwara no Nakamaro (also known as Emi no Oshikatsu), an armed uprising against the imperial faction supported by Empress Shōtoku and the monk Dōkyō. The rebellion was crushed near Lake Biwa, but at the cost of many lives on both sides.

Grieved by the bloodshed and seeking to restore harmony to the realm, Empress Shōtoku made an extraordinary vow. Drawing on the teachings of the Sutra of Pure Light (Mukujōkō Daidaranikyō), which promised great merit to those who built pagodas and enshrined dharani spells within them, she ordered the production of one million miniature wooden pagodas, each containing a printed dharani scroll. The project began in 764 and was completed in 770 — a feat that took roughly six years and the labor of around 157 named craftsmen, working in highly organized workshops.

Upon completion, the pagodas were distributed in batches of 100,000 to ten great temples of the era: Daian-ji, Gangō-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Hōryū-ji, Gufuku-ji (Kawara-dera), Shitennō-ji, and Sūfuku-ji. Of these, only the Hōryū-ji portion has survived in any quantity. Approximately 45,000 of the original pagodas remain at Hōryū-ji today, along with the rare and remarkable Ichiman-setsutō.

What Exactly Is an Ichiman-setsutō?

Among the million pagodas, not every piece was identical. To mark the progress of the great vow, the workshops produced a small number of special, larger pagodas. For every 10,000 standard three-tiered pagodas completed, a single seven-tiered pagoda — the Ichiman-setsutō (literally, "ten-thousand-marker pagoda") — was created. For every 100,000 completed, a thirteen-tiered pagoda known as the Jūman-setsutō was made. Today only one Ichiman-setsutō and one Jūman-setsutō survive, both preserved at Hōryū-ji.

The Ichiman-setsutō at Hōryū-ji is paired with its lotus pedestal (蓮座), giving rise to its formal designation as "Wooden Ichiman-setsutō (with lotus base)." Like its smaller siblings, it is built from cypress and other selected woods, lathe-turned (rokuro-biki) into precise, ringed forms, and finished with a thick coat of white pigment. The standard small pagodas measure about 21.4 centimeters tall; the Ichiman-setsutō is taller and more elaborate, with seven tiers of roof eaves rising above its lotus base, a scaled-up echo of the form repeated a million times across Empress Shōtoku's project.

Why It Was Designated an Important Cultural Property

The cultural and historical value of the Ichiman-setsutō is difficult to overstate. It was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan together with one hundred of the standard Hyakumantō, the Jūman-setsutō, and one hundred dharani scrolls drawn from inside the pagodas. Three reasons stand out for its protected status.

First, it is one of only two surviving "marker" pagodas from the entire million-pagoda project, making it virtually irreplaceable. Second, it is a direct material witness to the printed dharani inside the standard pagodas — texts that are widely regarded as the oldest dated printed materials in the world (or, since the 1966 discovery at Bulguksa in Korea, the oldest whose date of production is documented with absolute certainty). Third, the technical sophistication of these pagodas — the precision of the lathe work, the systematic numbering and inscription of pieces, the coordination of large workshops — reveals how advanced state-led craft production had become in 8th-century Japan, fusing court power, Buddhist devotion, and woodworking technology in a single national enterprise.

Highlights and Things to Look For

For visitors who manage to view the Ichiman-setsutō and its companions in the Daihōzōin treasure hall, several details reward close attention. The seven graceful tiers of the pagoda, each subtly diminishing in width as they rise, give the object an architectural presence far greater than its modest size would suggest. The lotus base, carved separately and fitted beneath the body of the pagoda, references the Buddhist symbolism of awakening rising from the waters of the world.

The standard pagodas displayed nearby reveal another remarkable feature: the upper portion of the body is hollowed into a cylindrical cavity, into which a tiny scroll of printed dharani was inserted, then sealed by the spire on top. Many of the surviving examples bear faint inkbrush inscriptions on their bases or finials, recording the date of manufacture, the name of the craftsman, and which workshop (right or left) produced them. These notations have allowed scholars to reconstruct the inner workings of an ancient state workshop with rare precision.

Standing before this assembly, visitors are confronted with a quietly powerful sight: a vow made by an empress nearly thirteen centuries ago, materially fulfilled in tens of thousands of small wooden towers, with this single seven-tiered pagoda counting them off, ten thousand at a time.

Visiting Information

The Ichiman-setsutō, together with one hundred of the standard Hyakumantō and the Jūman-setsutō, is preserved at the Daihōzōin treasure hall (officially, the "Daihōzōin / Kudara Kannon Hall") within the precincts of Hōryū-ji Temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture. Display arrangements may vary, and as a fragile small-scale work, the Ichiman-setsutō is not always shown in its entirety; visitors interested in viewing it on a particular date are encouraged to contact the temple in advance.

Hōryū-ji is one of Japan's most celebrated cultural sites and was inscribed in 1993 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area." The Western Precinct is widely cited as the world's oldest surviving group of wooden buildings. A combined admission ticket gives access to the Western Precinct, the Daihōzōin (where the pagodas are housed), and the Eastern Precinct including the Yumedono.

The temple is most easily reached from JR Hōryūji Station on the JR Yamatoji Line, about a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute bus ride away. From central Nara or Ōsaka, the journey is straightforward and well-suited as a day trip.

Around Hōryū-ji: Other Sites Worth Visiting

The Ikaruga area is rich in cultural heritage and rewards a leisurely day of exploration. Hōki-ji Temple, only a short walk to the northeast, preserves a magnificent three-storied pagoda from the late 7th century and is also part of the World Heritage inscription. Hōrin-ji Temple, just to the north of Hōryū-ji, holds revered statues from the Asuka period and a beautifully reconstructed three-storied pagoda. Chūgū-ji, accessed directly from Hōryū-ji's Eastern Precinct, is famed for its serene wooden image of a bodhisattva in meditation, regarded as one of the masterpieces of Japanese Buddhist sculpture.

The Ikaruga Cultural Properties Center (Ikaruga Bunkazai Center) provides excellent context for understanding the area's archaeological and historical layers. Travelers can also enjoy walks through the surrounding fields and traditional villages, where the silhouette of the Hōryū-ji five-story pagoda still rises above the rice paddies, much as it has for thirteen centuries.