shinso 心礎

Also called sasso 擦礎. The base stone for the central pillar *shinbashira 心柱, of a pagoda. Some base stones are buried deeply below ground level and have cavities hewn out of them to hold a container with relics *shari 舎利 of the Buddha. An example was discovered during the dismantling repairs of Hōryūji *Gojū-no-tō 法隆寺五重塔 (late 7th to early 8th century) in Nara. Other base stones were set shallowly into the earth so that the surface receiving the central pillar was at ground level. This type occasionally had a hole for receiving a container of relics. One example is the base stone for the central pillar of Hokkiji *Sanjū-no-tō 法起寺三重塔 (706) in Nara.