Ying County Wooden Pagoda (English: Ying County Wooden Pagoda)

Japanese: 応県木塔 - おうけんもくとう（英語表記）Yìng xiàn mù tǎ

The Shaka Pagoda of the Buddhist Temple in Ying County, Shanxi Province, China. It was built in 1056 (the second year of the Qingning era of the Liao Dynasty). It is the oldest and largest wooden pagoda still standing in China. It has an octagonal shape, a total height of about 67m, and appears to be five stories tall with a mokoshi (a raised floor), but if you include the ceilings on each floor, it is actually nine stories tall. It is made entirely of wood, making extensive use of supporting pillars and cross beams, and 54 types of brackets. The clay statues and murals of Shakyamuni, Kannon, the Four Buddhas, and Manjusri enshrined on each floor of the pagoda, as well as the sutras, books, and paintings that have been discovered in recent years, are of great value in the history of art and Buddhism.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国，山西省応県所在の仏宮寺釈迦塔。遼の清寧2年(1056)建立。中国に現存する最古･最大の木塔。平面八角形，全高約67m，外観は五重で裳階（もこし）付きだが，各層の天井裏を含めると実際は9層。添柱や筋違（すじかい）を駆使し，54種もの斗栱（ときよう）を多用した完全な木造になる。塔内各層に安置される釈迦，観音，四方仏，文殊などの塑像や壁画，近年発見された経典，書籍，絵画なども美術史･仏教史上価値が高い。

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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