Tahoto Pagoda is one of the forms of a pagoda in temple architecture; it is a two-storied tower with a lower cube-shaped part and an upper cylindrical part.
A cylindrical tower with a square-shaped roof on top is called a “Hoto (treasure tower)”, and in most cases there is a metal pinnacle called a “Sorin” on the top of a pagoda.
The tahoto Pagoda in Saijo-ji was built in 1863, and a statue of “Taho Nyorai(Prabhutaratna buddha)” is enshrined there.
Many buildings in Saijo-ji were burnt down in the late Taisho and early Showa eras because of fires, so most of the buildings were rebuilt in the Showa era. However, the Tahoto pagoda is still standing, so architecture from the late Edo period (1603-1868) can be seen, and it was designated as an important cultural property by Minami-Ashigara city.
