Japanese spiritual architecture - Sorin

If you admire the Japanese pagodas, you probably noticed the complex structures decorating the top. Called sōrin (which ca be translated as "alternate rings"), they are usually made of bronze, with a very complicated design and an impressive size.

Because it's on top of the pagoda, the sōrin is usually hard so see. But at the Todai-ji Temple from Nara, you can admire from up-close a dismantled sōrin, the one that decorated the replica of the Todai-ji seven-storied pagoda that was built for the Expo '70 World Fair from Osaka. After the fair, the sōrin was displayed at the Todai-ji Temple, close to the Daibutsuden Hall.