A generic name for a pagoda (Sk: stupa) which has several roofs. Invariably they have an odd number of roofs. Most common among large, wooden pagodas are three-storied pagodas *sanjū-no-tō 三重塔 and five-storied pagodas *gojū-no-tō 五重塔, while stone pagodas *sekitō 石塔 may also include seven, nine and even 13 stories. Among the several varieties of stone pagodas, sōtō are the oldest with the earliest extant example dating from the early Nara period. Sōtō usually have a low rectangular stone base *kiso 基礎 surmounted by a larger square body stone *tōshin 塔身 often bearing an image of the Buddha or a Sanskrit syllable. Rising above the base and body are the multiple square roofs which make up the finial or *sōrin 相輪.
Miniature sōtō were frequently used in gardens from the early Edo period to add to the picturesque quality of the garden, their scale suggesting that the garden is in fact a small-scale landscape. Among the sōtō used in gardens, many have an open arched base, and the next story has a square or arched opening to suggest the windows in full-scale Chinese pagodas. These garden sōtō are often called kōraitō 高麗塔 (Korean towers). By carving an opening into the sides of a miniature sōtō, it may be made into a type of stone lantern ishidōrō 石灯籠 called tōdōrō 塔灯籠 (see *tōrō 灯籠). The tōshin and roof of sōtō may be used for *shihōbutsu chōzubachi 四方仏手水鉢 and kasagata 笠形 (umbrella shaped) types of water basins *mitatemono chōzubachi 見立物手水鉢.