kasatōba 笠塔婆

Also called kasasotōba 笠卒都婆. A memorial or grave stone. The most common has a square shaft *tōshin 塔身, placed on a roughly hewed base stone. A pyramidal-like coping stone *kasa 笠, at the top suggests a roof. On top of the coping or between the coping and top ornament is an onion shape *hōju 宝珠, or bowl shape. Example: Ryūmonji 龍門寺 (1333) in Nara. Inscriptions in Sanskrit letters may be carved into the shaft, or Buddhist deities may be rendered in low relief on the upper part. The upper part is called butsugan kasatōba 仏龕笠塔婆 and may have solid stone wheels set vertically within the shaft so that the devout can turn the stone while reciting invocatory prayers. An example of this type is found at Akagi Jinja 赤城神社 (1490) in Gunma Prefecture. It has Roku Jizō 六地蔵 figures carved into it.