science

Sōrin

Sōrin is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sōrin rather than just read about it. In short: The sōrin (相輪, lit. alternate rings) 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.

Key takeaways

Sōrin belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sōrin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sōrin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The sōrin (相輪, lit. alternate rings) 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. Although quintessentially Buddhist, in Japan pagodas and their sōrin can be found both at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. This is because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868 a Shinto shrine was normally also a Buddhist temple and vice versa. Itsukushima Shrine for example has one.

Support system The sōrin is supported by a long shaft, often obtained by joining two or even three shorter ones, that runs to the base of the edifice. Although it is often believed that the pillar at the core of a Japanese pagoda is a device to strengthen it against earthquakes, its sole purpose is to support the long and heavy bronze sōrin. In many cases the central shaft doesn't reach the ground, but has its base somewhere above it within the pagoda, where it is supported by beam or other means. At Nikkō Tōshō-gū (1818), for example, it is suspended with chains from the fourth floor. From its base exits a long tenon which, penetrating a mortise in a base stone (心礎, shinso), prevents it from oscillating. This structure was adopted not as a measure against earthquakes but because, with aging, the wood of the pagoda, whose grain is mostly horizontal, tends to shrink more than that of the vertical shaft, causing the opening of a gap between the two at the roof. From the gap rain would enter, causing rot. In other cases, this was done to allow the opening of a room at the ground floor and therefore create some usable space. (Early wooden pagodas had no usable space.)

Structure

Wooden pagodas

The sōrin of a wooden pagoda is usually made of bronze and is divided in several segments called (from top to bottom):

The Jewel or gem (宝珠, hōju or hōshu), a spherical or tear-shaped object, shapes sacred to Buddhism. Believed to repel evil and fulfill wishes, it can be also found on top of pyramidal temple roofs, of stone lanterns or of tall poles. It can have flames, in which case it is called kaen hōju (火炎宝珠; flaming gem). Those made before the Momoyama period tend to be rounder. The dragon vehicle (竜車, ryūsha), the piece immediately below the hōju The water flame (水煙, suien; lit. "water smoke"), consisting of four decorative sheets of metal set at 90° to each other and installed over the top of the main pillar of a pagoda. The fūtaku (風鐸; lit. "wind bell"), small bells attached to the edges of a sōrin's rings or of the suien. The nine rings (九輪, kurin), the largest component of the sōrin. In spite of their name, there can sometimes be only eight or even seven of them. The ukebana (受花・請花; lit. "receiving flower"), a circle of upturned lotus petals, usually eight in number. There can also be another circle of petals facing down. The inverted bowl (伏鉢, fukubachi), which sits between the ukebana and the roban. The base or dew basin (露盤, roban; lit. "external bowl"), on which rests the entire finial. Because it covers the top of the roof in order to prevent leaks, it normally has as many sides as the roof itself (four, six or eight).

Stone pagodas

The most important stone pagoda having a finial is the hōkyōintō. Usually made in stone and occasionally metal or wood, hōkyōintō started to be made in their present form during the Kamakura period. Like a gorintō, they are divided in five main sections, of which the sōrin is the uppermost. Its components are, from the top down:

Hōju Ukebana Kurin Ukebana Roban. The sōrin sits on the kasa (笠; umbrella) or yane (屋根; roof), a stepped pyramid with four wings at the corners called mimikazari (耳飾) or sumikazari (隅飾).

Sōrintō The sōrintō (相輪橖) is a type of small pagoda consisting just of a pole and a sōrin.

Notes

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sōrin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sōrin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sōrin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sōrin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sōrin

In research: Sōrin appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sōrin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sōrin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Japanese architectural features, Roofs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sōrin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sōrin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sōrin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sōrin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sōrin in simple terms?

Why does Sōrin matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sōrin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sōrin.