Gorintō

Gorintō (五輪塔) ("five-ringed tower") is a Japanese type of Buddhist pagoda believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai sects during the mid Heian period.

[4] The stupa was originally a structure or other sacred building containing a relic of Buddha or of a saint,[5] 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.

[3] 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).

On each section are often carved from top to bottom the Sanskrit letters kha (void, or Kū (空) in Japanese), ha (air, or Fū (風)), ra (fire, or Ka (火)), va (water, or Sui (水)), and a (earth, or Chi (地)),[6][7] and in Nichiren and Tendai temples sometimes a gorintō will have carved on it the name of the Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華経, myōhō-renge-kyō) (see photo).

[3] The theory of five elements was born in India, but the development of the Japanese gorintō shows the deep influence of Mikkyō, and in particular of Kūkai and Kakuban.