Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda

What Is Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda?

Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda (五流尊滝院宝塔, Goryū Sonryūin Hōtō) is a granite stone stupa in Hayashi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, traditionally dated to 1240 in the early Kamakura period and designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1956. The temple that owns it usually writes its name with the older character 瀧, as Goryū Sonryūin (五流尊瀧院); both spellings are read the same way.

The English word "pagoda" can mislead here. A Hōtō is not a multi-storied wooden tower but a compact Buddhist monument: a cylindrical body topped by a square stone roof. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database lists this one as a single stone hōtō with its platform, from the early Kamakura period. It stands about 3.8 meters tall, and one local guide puts the height at roughly 5 meters when measured from the ground, platform included.

Its origin comes from temple tradition. Retired Emperor Go-Toba, exiled to the Oki Islands after the Jōkyū War, died there in exile. Two of his sons, Prince Kakunin and Prince Yorihito, were living at this temple at the time, and they are said to have raised the stone monument the following year for the first anniversary of their father's death.

For centuries the temple and the neighboring Kumano Shrine formed a single Kumano Gongen cult site. The Meiji-era separation of Buddhism and Shinto split them into two institutions, and Goryū Sonryūin continues today as a temple of Shugendō, the mountain ascetic tradition. The stupa had already stood here for more than 600 years when that split happened.

Why Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda Is an Important Cultural Property

Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 28, 1956, and the case for it rests on a date that can be checked two ways. The year 1240 comes from temple tradition, which alone would prove little. The Kurashiki City Board of Education, however, notes that the carving style of the stonework points to the same period, so legend and form agree.

The roof carries most of that evidence. Its overall shape is standard for a hōtō, but the depth of the eave edge and the way the eaves lift toward each corner are typical of Kamakura-period masons. Okayama Prefecture's heritage notes call it a masterpiece among Kamakura-period stone stupas.

There is also physical evidence of its memorial purpose. The body of the stupa has a relic chamber, and cremated bone, teeth, fragments of fragrant wood and pieces of iron were found inside. No inscription names the person whose remains these were, but the find fits the tradition that the monument was built to honor the dead.

Scorch marks cover much of the body. They are attributed to fighting during the Ōnin War in the fifteenth century, which means the stupa survived a burning of the site and still keeps its Kamakura profile. A report on its repair work was published in 1971.

What to Look For at Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda

The easiest way to read Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda is from the ground up.

The platform and the base

At the bottom is a square platform of fitted cut stone, built in the dan-jō-zumi manner. Kurashiki City singles it out as especially fine, and it gives the whole monument its weight. On the base block above it you can see koza-ma, cusped decorative panels cut into the stone.

The cylindrical body

The round body sits on that base. A seated Buddhist figure is carved on its front, though the hand gesture is too worn to identify the deity. A Sanskrit seed syllable is said to have been carved on the back. The discoloration and chipped patches on the surface of the body belong to the fire damage mentioned above.

The neck, railing and flying celestials

Above the body, the narrow neck and the small railing are cut from one piece of stone. A band circles the middle of the neck, and below it flying celestial maidens are drawn in incised line. The lines are shallow. Low morning or late-afternoon light, raking across the stone, shows them far better than midday sun.

The roof and its corner holes

Finish with the roof. The gentle upward sweep of its eaves toward the corners is the detail that helped date the monument. At each of the four corners of the eave edge there is a small drilled hole, thought to have held wind bells. Look up at the corners from a slight angle and the holes are easy to spot.

Visiting Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda

Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda is an outdoor stone monument, viewed from outside; there is no interior to enter. Neither the Kurashiki City nor the Okayama Prefecture tourism pages list an admission fee, and neither mentions any photography restriction. If worshippers are present, give them room in front of the monument.

Finding it takes a little care. Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda does not stand beside the temple's main buildings. It stands near the entrance to Kumano Shrine, roughly 500 meters along a lane from the temple itself, so visitors who go to the temple first will need to walk back toward the shrine.

According to Kurashiki City's official tourism site, the temple office is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no closing days. Enquiries go to Goryū Sonryūin (086-485-0027).

By public transport, the walk from Kimi Station on the JR Seto-Ōhashi Line takes about 20 minutes. Shimoden buses stop at Hayashi, about 10 minutes on foot. By car it is about 5 minutes from Mizushima Interchange on the Seto-Chūō Expressway, and parking is free.

About 800 meters toward Kimi Station is the tomb of Prince Yorihito, one of the two princes credited with building the stupa. It is maintained by the Imperial Household Agency and lies on the way between the station and Goryusonryuin Temple Pagoda.