The , is a

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

Buddhist relic located in the Takabatake neighborhood of

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 1953, with the area under protection expanded in 1922. It is an earthen

step pyramid A step pyramid or stepped pyramid is an architectural structure that uses flat platforms, or steps, receding from the ground up, to achieve a completed shape similar to a geometric pyramid. Step pyramids – typically large and made of several la ...

with seven square steps with stone images of Buddha on all four sides, and a total height of ten meters.

Overview

According to the , the monument was constructed in 767 by the monk

Jitchū (?–824) was a Buddhist monk in Nara Japan of the Kegon sect, and pupil of Roben. In his later years, Jitchu oversaw the expansion of Tōdai-ji temple, and introduced liturgy and rituals still used today. The most noteworthy of these ceremonie ...

, based on Indian models, and was originally referred to as the "dōtō" (earthen tower). However, this history was forgotten by the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

and the monument was incorporated into a sub-temple of Kofuku-ji dedicated to the monk Genbō. The Heian period book by Ōe Chikamichi (published in 1140) asserted that it was the tomb of Genbō's head. This legend spread widely, and the name of the monument was corrupted to ''Zutō''. The monument is an earthen

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

, consisting of a square earthen platform made of tamped earth, with a base measuring 32 meters on each side and 1.2 meters high. The platform shrinks by three meters on each stage, with the top platform measuring 6.2 meters on each side. The odd-numbered platforms are 1.1 meters high, the even-numbered platforms 0.6 meters high, and the height from the base to the top platform is about 10 meters. Stone Buddha statues in

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

(some with line carvings) are placed on each tier. Thirteen of the stone Buddha statues that were originally exposed were designated as National Important Cultural Properties in 1977, and nine of the 14 stone Buddha statues found in subsequent

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

s were additionally designated in 2002. It is estimated that a total of 44 stone Buddha statues were originally installed, 11 on each of the four sides. Some of the statues retain traces of paint. The stone Buddha statues on the east, west, and north sides were restored and placed in roofed niches, but the stone Buddha statue on the south side was placed directly on the ground. After the excavation by the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties ended in 1986, the northern half was restored and preserved, while the southern half was left as it was before the excavation. The excavation revealed that the current structure was built on top of an earlier three-tier structure. Documentation subsequently found in the archives of the

Shōsōin The is the wikt:treasure house, treasure house of Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The building is in the ''azekura'' (log-cabin) style with a raised floor. It lies to the northwest of the Great Buddha Hall. The Shōsō-in houses arti ...

confirmed that an unknown person built this previous structure in 760 by extensively remodeling a 6th century ''

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumulus, tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞 ...

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

. Jitchū dismantled and completely rebuilt the structure as part of a project to develop the hill south of the original

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...

precincts. The monument is 1.5 kilometers due south of Tōdai-ji's Nandaimon gate and 1.7 kilometers southeast of

Kintetsu Nara Station is a railway station on the Nara Line in Nara, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu Railway. Lines The station is the terminal station on the Nara Line. Kintetsu operates through expresses and limited expresses from Kyot ...

. A structure similar to the''Zutō'' is the '' Dotō'' in the city of

Sakai, Osaka is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its ''kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun' ...

Gallery

201509 Zuto 01.jpg, From the southeast corner ZUTO Buddha Relief01.jpg, bas-relief image from the Zuto

References

External links

Nara Prefectural government home page
{{in lang, ja Buddhist temples in Nara Prefecture Nara, Nara Yamato Province Nara period Historic Sites of Japan Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan Pyramids in Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links