Eleven-story stone pagoda, Japan

Pagodas, Tō (塔) in Japanese, originated in ancient India from where the phenomenon spread to other parts of the Asian world. Today, the pagoda is inextricably linked to traditional Chinese and Japanese architecture. The tall pagodas symbolize the sacred mountains of legend and folk tales. All valuable treasures, jewels, and artifacts were usually kept safe on the upper floors of the pagoda.

Centuries ago, the architecture of the pagoda formed the inspiration for a stone garden ornament in Japan. The stone pagoda, known in Japanese as Sekitō (石塔), is the perfect addition to any traditional Japanese garden due to the symbolism and unique presence that the ornament exudes. A stone pagoda has a certain unique essence that cannot be matched by other types of ornaments.

This specific pagoda has eleven floors, a type known as Jūichijū Sekitō (十一重石塔) in Japanese. A pagoda with this number of floors is highly regarded in Japan, and a very famous example can be found in Kyoto along the Uji River.

On each side of this pagoda, Buddhist symbols called Bonji (梵字) in Japanese can be seen.