Yukokuji Temple Iron Pagoda (English: Yukokuji Temple Iron Pagoda)

Japanese: 祐国寺鉄塔 - ゆうこくじてっとう（英語表記）Yòu guó sì tiě tǎ

A tower in the northeastern part of Kaifeng city, Henan province, China. It is also called the Iron Tower. The temple was founded in the Later Jin period of the Five Dynasties and moved to this location during the Qiande period (963-967) of the Northern Song dynasty. The tower was built in 1049 (Huangyou 1) of the Northern Song dynasty, five years after the wooden tower of the Kaibao Temple Fushouin temple built by Yuhao in the early Northern Song dynasty was burned down, and is said to have been built by order of Emperor Renzong in imitation of the wooden tower. It was repaired during the Ming dynasty. It is an octagonal, 13-storey tower-style structure with a spiral staircase leading to the upper floors. The exterior walls are inlaid with black-brown glazed bricks, and the pillars, girders, rafters, brackets, waist brackets and other components are carved with reliefs of various motifs such as flying celestial beings, lions and flowers, and its appearance gives it the name Iron Tower.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国，河南省開封市内北東部にある塔。単に鉄塔とも簡称される。寺は五代後晋の創建で，北宋の乾徳年間(963‐967)に当地に移ったという。塔は北宋の1049年(皇祐1)の建立で，北宋初期に喩皓（じゆこう）が建てた開宝寺福聖院の木塔が焼失した5年後，仁宗の下勅により同塔を模して建設されたものと伝え，明代の修理をへている。8角13層，楼閣式で内部にらせん状の階段が上層まで通ずる。外壁に黒褐色琉璃塼を嵌（は）め，柱，桁，垂木，斗栱（ときよう），腰組などの部材と，飛天，獅子，草花など種々の文様を浮彫しており，その外観から鉄塔の名がある。

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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