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("five-ringed tower") is the name of a Japanese type of Buddhist pagoda believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai sects during the mid Heian period.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Tou )〕 It is used for memorial or funerary purposes〔Kōjien Japanese Dictionary〕 and is therefore common in Buddhist temples and cemeteries. It is also called ("five-ringed stupa") or ,〔〔 where the term ''sotoba'' is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word stupa.〔Article "Buttō", Japanese Wikipedia, accessed on April 10, 2008〕 The stupa was originally a structure or other sacred building containing a relic of Buddha or of a saint,〔Article Stupa accessed on April 10, 2008〕 then it was gradually stylized in various ways and its shape can change quite a bit according to the era and to the country where it is found.〔Home Study Course on Basic Buddhism〕 Often offertory strips of wood with five subdivisions and covered with elaborate inscriptions also called ''sotoba'' can be found at tombs in Japanese cemeteries (see photo below).〔 The inscriptions contain sūtra and the posthumous name of the dead person. These can be considered stupa variants. == Structure and meaning == In all its variations, the ''gorintō'' includes five rings (although that number can often be difficult to detect by decoration), each having one of the five shapes symbolic of the Five Elements, (Mahabhuta in Sanskrit, or Godai in Japanese): the earth ring (cube), the water ring (sphere), the fire ring (pyramid), the air ring (crescent), and the ether ring, (or energy, or void).〔 The last two rings (air and ether) are visually and conceptually united into a single subgroup. The last shape, ether, is the one that changes most according to the country,〔 and in Japan it's close to that of a lotus flower.〔 The rings express the idea that after death our physical bodies will go back to their original, elemental form.〔 ''Gorintō'' are usually made of stone, but some built in wood, metal, or crystal exist. On each section are often carved from top to bottom the Sanskrit letters ''kha'' (void, or in Japanese), ''ha'' (air, or ), ''ra'' (fire, or ), ''va'' (water, or ), and ''a'' (earth, or ),〔Article "Gorintō", Japanese Wikipedia, accessed on April 10, 2008〕〔Article Godai, accessed on April 10, 2008〕 and in Nichiren and Tendai temples sometimes a ''gorintō'' will have carved on it the (see photo). The ''gorintō'' as a symbol belongs to literally "secret teachings", term often translated as "esoteric Buddhism"), a Japanese term that refers to the esoteric Vajrayāna practices of the Shingon Buddhist school and the related practices that make up part of the Tendai school.〔Article Mikkyo, accessed on April 10, 2008〕 In those esoteric disciplines, the first two shapes (the cube and the sphere) represent the most perfect doctrine, and are supposed to contain in themselves the other three.〔 Together they represent the (lit. "real world"), that is the realm of perfect understanding, whereas the others constitute the (lit. "world of mutation")，or the world of impermanence, which includes the , the world we live in.〔 On a second level of symbolism, each part of the ''gorintō'' also represents an element of change in both ''Jutsuzaikai'' and ''Henkai''.〔 * The top symbol fuses the shape of a crescent, representing wisdom, and a triangle, representing principle.〔 The fusion of these qualities in the Genshōkai and Henkai represents perfection, or Buddhahood.〔 * The crescent of water represents receptivity,〔 and is similar to a cup ready to receive from the heavens.〔 * The triangle is a point of transition between two worlds and as such represents both unification and movement.〔 It indicates the activity necessary to reach Enlightenment.〔 * The circle represents completion, or Wisdom attainment.〔 * The square is a symbol of the four elements.〔 On a last level of symbolism, the shapes represent the order in which the student progresses in his or her spiritual studies.〔 * The square is the basis, the will to attain perfection.〔 * The circle is the attainment of equanimity.〔 * The triangle represents the energy created in pursuit of the truth.〔 * The crescent represents the development of intuition and awareness.〔 * The topmost shape represents perfection.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gorintō」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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