Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Japanese: 小雁塔 - しょうがんとう

This is a relic of Tang Dynasty architecture located in the south of Xian city, Shaanxi Province, China. In 684, Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty built Xianfu Temple here, and later Empress Wu Zetian renovated and built it in 690 for her late husband, Emperor Gaozu, and renamed it Xianfu Temple. A tower was built during the Jinglong period ( 707-710 ) and was named "Little Wild Goose Pagoda" because it is smaller than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda of Ci'en Temple. It is characterized by a narrow space between the eaves, and is called the Mitsuro style. When it was first built, it was a 15-story tower, but the top two stories collapsed in an earthquake, and it is now only 13 stories. It is also famous as the place where the Tang Dynasty monk Yijing translated Buddhist scriptures that he brought back from India and Southeast Asia.

Source: Kodansha World Tourist Attractions Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

中国の陜西(せんせい)省西安(せいあん)（シーアン）市の市街南方にある、唐代建築の遺構。この地に684年、唐代の中宗が献福寺を建立し、のちに武則天が亡夫の高祖のために690年に改修・建立して、「薦福寺」と改称した。景龍年間（707～710年）に塔を建立し、慈恩寺の大雁塔(だいがんとう)より小さいので「小雁塔」と命名された。軒と軒の間が狭い造りが特徴で、密櫓(みつろ)式と呼ばれる。創建当初は15層の塔だったが、地震で上部の2層が崩れ、現在は13層。唐代の高僧、義浄がインドや東南アジアから持ち帰った仏教経典を翻訳した場所としても有名である。

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