
Topic
vertical shaft which tops a Japanese pagoda
The sōrin is the vertical shaft (finial) which tops a Japanese pagoda, whether made of stone or wood. The sōrin of a wooden pagoda is usually made of bronze and can be over 10 meters tall. That of a stone pagoda is also of stone and less than a meter long. The sōrin is divided in several sections possessing a symbolic meaning and, as a whole, in turn itself represents a pagoda.