Japanese Pagodas: Relics of Timber Construction
ELIGE MADERA

Japanese Pagodas: Relics of Timber Construction

Pagoda - have you heard this term before? With its origins in Asia (in countries such as Japan, China, India and Vietnam,) it’s not a very common word in the West. Well, a pagoda is a type of building that has several high towers placed at various levels. They usually have a religious purpose and can be used as tombs or places of worship. 

Pagoda - have you heard this term before? With its origins in Asia (in countries such as Japan, China, India and Vietnam,) it’s not a very common word in the West. Well, a pagoda is a type of building that has several high towers placed at various levels. They usually have a religious purpose and can be used as tombs or places of worship. 

In Japan’s Kansai region, there’s a temple complex called Horyuji, which means "Temple of the Flourishing Law." Here you can find the oldest wooden buildings in the world; it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a reason! At this site, located in the main area, there is the oldest wooden pagoda in history, which was built around 600 AD. It has five floors and each one represents an element of classical Japanese cosmogony: earth, water, wood, wind and sky. Pagodas are an architectural design inherited from China, who in turn adapted it from the Indian Buddhist stupas and this one was the first to be built in Japan.

For the Japanese, this place has strong religious connotations, which is why they are very involved in its maintenance and they care for it devotedly. Aside from that, this pagoda is quite striking because, although it was built with wood, it has endured for centuries and survived the ravages of time and nature. There’s a reason for this longevity: the Horyuji Pagoda, unlike modern buildings, doesn’t have a central load-bearing support; it narrows as it rises, which gives it enough stability.  

Undoubtedly, the Horyuji complex is worth visiting: to find a dormant piece of history, mystical passages, and the calm of a hidden and mysterious Japan. It’s a tour of antiquity that will make us rethink the way we see modern construction. 

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