Square stupa - Kakutoba

Japanese: 角塔婆 - かくとうば

Abbreviation of Gorin Kakutoba. It is the same type as Ita Toba, Sotoba, and Toba. It started in India when after the death of Shakyamuni Buddha, his relics, belongings and hair were buried and a building was built on top of them to become a stupa (tower). Many were built during and after the Maurya dynasty. They were built in China later, and many remain in Japan even today, such as the five-story and three-story pagodas of Horyu-ji and Yakushi-ji. These pagodas were transformed into Gorinto, which was influenced by esoteric Buddhism and was made with Sanskrit characters written on them, which represent the seeds of the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind and space. The square stupa was a modified version of this, with the earth ring as a long pillar, and came to be erected for memorial services for the deceased.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

五輪角塔婆の略。板塔婆，卒塔婆，塔婆などと同種類のもの。インドで釈尊の死後その舎利や遺品遺髪を埋めてその上に建物を造り，ストゥーパ (塔) としたのが始り。マウリヤ王朝およびそれ以後特に多く造られた。のち中国に入ってからも造られ，日本でも法隆寺，薬師寺の五重塔，三重塔などいまでも多く残っている。これらの塔が転化し，密教の影響を受けて地水火風空という五大の種子である梵字を書いて造られたのが五輪塔である。またそれを変形し地輪を長く柱として造られたのが角塔婆で，死亡した人々の追善供養のために立てられるようになった。

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