Three-Story Pagoda
Pagodas in Japanese Buddhism are often said to contain relics and some of the ashes of the historical Buddha. They are regarded as memorials to the Shakyamuni Buddha. Horinji’s original pagoda burned down in 1944 when it was struck by lightning. To rebuild it, the temple organized a fundraising campaign that drew strong support from local parishioners, everyday people across Japan, and even the author Koda Aya (1904–1990). The pagoda’s reconstruction in the original Asuka period style was completed in 1975, and it now houses the original reliquary rescued from the fire.