The oldest five-storied pagoda in Japan

During the first years of Buddhism in Japan the pagoda was one of the seven buildings of a Buddhist temple (shichidou garan), being repositories for Buddha relics.

Some of the pagodas also host sacred images, like the one photographed here at Horyu-ji, Nara, the oldest five-storied pagoda in Japan. It houses a 1,300 years old collection of clay statues, representing important Buddhist deities.