Rurikoji Five-Storied Pagoda – The Beauty of Medieval Yamaguchi

Surrounded by trees in Yamaguchi City stands one of the finest surviving examples of medieval Japanese architecture: the five-storied pagoda of Rurikoji Temple.

The pagoda was completed around 1442 during the Muromachi period. It was built by Ōuchi Morimi in memory of his elder brother, Ōuchi Yoshihiro, who had died in battle. Rising 31.2 meters above the surrounding landscape, it has survived for nearly six centuries and is now designated a National Treasure of Japan.

To understand why this pagoda is important, we also need to understand Yamaguchi during the age of the Ōuchi clan. The Ōuchi were among the most powerful lords of western Japan, and through trade and cultural exchange with China and Korea, their city became a prosperous center of politics, commerce, religion, and the arts.

Yamaguchi developed such a sophisticated culture that it later became known as the “Kyoto of the West.” The Ōuchi welcomed scholars, monks, artists, and cultural influences from both Kyoto and the Asian continent. The five-storied pagoda remains one of the most beautiful surviving symbols of that world.

Its appearance is remarkably elegant. Unlike many Japanese pagodas covered with heavy tiled roofs, Rurikoji's roofs are covered with layers of hiwada — the bark of Japanese cypress trees. The deeply projecting roofs and their gentle curves give the structure a light, graceful silhouette, while each successive story becomes slightly narrower toward the top.

The surrounding landscape is equally important. Reflected in the pond and framed by trees, the pagoda changes character with every season. Cherry blossoms appear in spring, deep green surrounds it in summer, autumn brings warmer colors, and snow can transform the entire scene in winter.

There is a remarkable stillness here. Although the pagoda was created during an age of powerful samurai lords and political conflict, what remains today is not an image of warfare, but one of balance and beauty.

The pagoda has also survived because generations continued to maintain it. A major conservation project begun in 2022 included the complete replacement of its traditional cypress-bark roofs. The work was completed at the end of 2025, allowing the restored pagoda to emerge once again in its elegant form.

For visitors from overseas, Rurikoji Five-Storied Pagoda is more than a beautiful piece of traditional Japanese architecture. It is a surviving fragment of a time when Yamaguchi was one of the great cultural centers of western Japan.

Nearly six hundred years have passed.
The Ōuchi clan is gone, and the medieval city around the pagoda has disappeared.
But beneath the trees of Yamaguchi, their culture still has a physical form.
It stands quietly in wood and cypress bark, reflected in the water.

BRONZE MUSEUM JAPAN

photo : Supervisor K