momitou　籾塔

KEY WORD :　architecture / buildings & structures

Lit. unhulled rice pagoda. A small wooden votive pagoda carved with a knife. It is related to *hyakumantou 百万塔, small wooden circular pagodas, formed on a lathe, into which sutras are inserted. The pagoda's name is derived from the fact that one grain of this rice was wrapped in the Houkyou-in Darani 宝篋印陀羅尼 sutra and inserted into a hole bored into the bottom of the momitou. An unhulled grain of rice was thought to embody the entire teachings of the Buddha *Shaka 釈迦. Very few were thought to exist until 10,000 momitou were discovered packed in four straw sacks under the altar in the Mirokudou 弥勒堂 at Murouji 室生寺 in 1953. Some were made of plain wood, while others were colored green or red. The momitou at Oomiwadera 大御輪寺 in Miwa Jinguuji 三輪神宮寺 are a little larger than the ones found at Murouji and are painted white. Most momitou are relatively square, while some are multisided and very rarely somewhat circular.

REFERENCES:

*houtou 宝塔, *bussharitou 仏舎利塔

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