Keywords
Architecture
General Terms
Also read tōsho. The burial place for the remains of prominent Buddhist priests. Historically, the ashes of Buddha were thought to be interred in a stupa *tō 塔; thus, during the Kamakura period, with the introduction of new Buddhist sects, especially Zen 禅, the practice of placing the priest's ashes in an egg-shaped style pagoda *rantō 卵塔 with a protective cover became common.