A MONUMENTAL JAPANESE MODEL OF A PAGODA

A MONUMENTAL JAPANESE PLASTER AND WOOD MODEL OF A PAGODA
MEIJI ERA, 19TH CENTURY

Of tahōtō (many-jewelled pagoda) type with two storeys, a square lower level, a cylindrical upper story, and a mokoshi (skirt roof), with a tall spire crowned by a flaming pearl; realistically rendered and painted in pink, blue, green and white pigments; the model of modular construction with detachable tiers and stackable sections; 114cm x 56.5cm.

These large models of pagodas were rarely just souvenirs; they were usually made as pieces for international exhibitions, votive offerings, or architectural 'blueprints' used before building the full-scale monument. This particular type of pagoda is found at Shingon and Tendai Buddhist temples in Japan, and it is possible that this one depicts the Tahōtō of Ishiyama-dera in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture.