kurin 九輪

Also kūrin 空輪, hōrin 宝輪. A part of the finial on top of a pagoda. Usually nine metal rings are attached to the tubular metal sheathing that covers the tapered central pillar which extends above the roof of the pagoda. There are some exceptions. For example, there are only eight rings on the finials of the two pagodas at Taimadera 当麻寺 (late 8th-early 9th century) and seven rings on the finial at Danzan Jinja 談山神社 (1528), both in Nara.