One million towers - Hyakumanto

Japanese: 百万塔 - ひゃくまんとう

〘Noun〙 One of the memorial towers. A small wooden three-story tower that is one of a million, built by Emperor Shotoku after the Emi no Oshikatsu Rebellion in 764 during the Nara period and donated to the ten major temples in the Kinai region. It is approximately 21.4cm high and 10.5cm in diameter at the base. It is turned on a potter's wheel and contains one scroll each of the four types of mantras from the Pure Light Sutra - Konpon, Sorin, Jishin and Rokudo - printed inside the hollow space. These mantras were printed using woodblocks and are said to be the oldest printed matter in the world. There are 45,755 of them remaining at Horyuji Temple. *Kanko Miscellany (1841) vol. 1 "A million towers and mantras _kept inside the towers"

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙供養塔の一つ。奈良時代、天平宝字八年（七六四）恵美押勝の乱後に称徳天皇が造らせて畿内の十大寺に納めた百万基の木造の三重の小塔。高さ約二一・四センチメートル、基の径約一〇・五センチメートル。ろくろ挽(びき)で造り、中の空洞に印刷した無垢浄光経の根本・相輪・慈心・六度の四種の陀羅尼(だらに)一巻ずつが納めてある。この陀羅尼は木版で印刷され、世界最古の印刷物といわれる。法隆寺に四万五七五五基が現存する。※観古雑帖（1841）一「百万塔并塔中所_レ納陁羅尼」

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