Unganji Temple Tiger Hill Pagoda

Japanese: 雲巌寺虎丘塔 - うんがんじこきゅうとう

…It is said to be the tomb of King Helü of Wu (reigned 515-496 BC) during the Spring and Autumn Period. Today, it contains the Unganji Temple, Huqiu Pagoda, Sword Pond, and Senninseki. Construction of the Huqiu Pagoda began in 959 (the 6th year of Xiande era) during the Later Zhou Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, and was completed in 961 (the 2nd year of Jianlong era) during the Northern Song Dynasty. …

From the Tower

…Generally, a tower is defined as a structure that is significantly taller than its width and depth. However, a tower also has the meaning of a place that people climb, so a chimney cannot be considered a tower, and television and radio towers are merely tall structures in themselves. Also, the ancient Roman monument Trajan's Column can be considered a tower because it has a spiral staircase going up inside. Prehistoric megalithic monuments and ancient Egyptian obelisks are simply blocks of stone, not towers. In many cases, towers originated with military purposes (surveillance, defense) or religious purposes (the pursuit of the heavenly world), and at the same time, they also became symbols of the power that realized and supported these purposes. …

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Unganji Tiger Hill Pagoda" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…春秋時代，呉の闔閭（こうりよ）王(在位，前515‐前496)の墓址と伝えられる。いまは雲巌寺（うんがんじ）虎丘塔，剣池，千人石などがある。虎丘塔は五代後周の959年(顕徳6)に着工，北宋の961年(建隆2)に完成した塼塔（せんとう）。…

【塔】より

…一般に，幅･奥行きに比べて著しく高い建造物，と定義される。しかし，塔には人間が昇っていく場所という意味内容が伴っており，そのため煙突は塔とはいえず，テレビ塔や電波塔もそれだけでは高い構築物にすぎない。また，古代ローマの記念柱であるトラヤヌスの円柱は，中を螺旋（らせん）階段が昇り，塔ともいえる。先史時代の巨石記念物や古代エジプトのオベリスクは，石塊そのものであって塔ではない。　多くの場合，塔は発生的には軍事上の目的(監視，防御)あるいは宗教上の目的(天上世界の希求)をもっており，同時に塔はそれを実現し，支える権力の象徴ともなった。…

※「雲巌寺虎丘塔」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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