A representation of a pagoda that has been printed or rubbed onto paper or cloth. The paper or cloth was laid on a carved block and rubbed with ink, leaving the raised portion with the markings of the carved block on the covering. Printing could also be done by preparing a surface in the same way that a seal was made. The prepared surface was pressed onto ink and then stamped on paper. Wooden blocks were the norm, but tile was also sometimes used.
Commonly represented pagodas included: three and five storied pagodas; circular pagodas with pyramidal roofs, those made of five stones set one on top of the other and memorial pagodas. Some included images of various Buddhas *inbutsu 印仏. Sometimes a single intō was stamped on one sheet of paper, and sometimes many pagodas were stamped on one sheet, often the case when stamping many Buddha figures, inbutsu kuyō 印仏供養. Some intō had parts of sutras copied on the shaft. Intō with circular pagodas and a pyramidal roofs *hōtō 宝塔 are the most common among those extant.
The oldest extant has a printed image of Buddha *Shaka 釈迦. It belongs to Jōruriji 浄瑠璃寺 in Kyoto, and was created sometime from the early to mid-Heian period. Late Heian period, an intō is found at Togakushi Jinja 戸隠神社 (12th century) in Nagano Prefecture. It has a sutra written with one large character over the faint outline of a hōtō and is called kyōintō 経印塔. It is covered with mica to enhance its beauty.
Another intō is in the possession of Daizōji 大蔵寺 (Kamakura period) in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is printed on the reverse side of the sutra, Daihannyakyō 大般若経. An image of a five-storied pagoda *gojū-no-tō 五重塔 was created by pressing a tile block, kawaraban natsu in 瓦版捺印, onto paper is owned by Hōshōji 法勝寺 (Kamakura period) in Kyoto. The Uzumasa Hōkyōtō 太奏宝経塔, owned by Kōryūji 広隆寺 (Kamakura period) in Kyoto, is made with gold characters on a deep blue background.