This pagoda was commissioned by Ouchi Morimi, one of the heads of the Ouchi clan that ruled Yamaguchi from the 14th to 16th centuries. Morimi had the pagoda built as a memorial to his older brother Ouchi Yoshihiro, who died leading a revolt against the country’s central government in 1399. The pagoda was completed in 1442 and is lauded as the most outstanding structure surviving from the middle of the Muromachi period, which ran from approximately 1336 to 1573. It is designated a national treasure.
The pagoda is 31 meters tall, or about 102 feet. Its roofs are made of multiple layers of cypress bark held in place with bamboo nails. Moving upward, each story is progressively narrower, contributing to the structure’s balanced appearance. Except for a railing running around the second story, the pagoda has very little adornment for Muromachi period architecture.
When the pagoda was built here, it was originally within in the precincts of Koshakuji Temple. But Koshakuji Temple was relocated to the city of Hagi in the early 17th century, and Rurikoji Temple later took its place. This is why the pagoda is now known as Rurikoji Temple Five-Storied Pagoda. It is counted among the top three pagodas in Japan, alongside Daigoji Temple pagoda in Kyoto and Horyuji Temple pagoda in Nara.