Horyuji Temple was built in 607 AD and is the oldest wooden architecture in the world. The five-storied pagoda located next to the Golden Pavillion in the west monastery is a wooden tower in the style preferred in the Asuka Period (end of the 6th century to early 7th century) and constructed to enshrine the bones of Buddha. A core pillar stands from the ground to the topmost part in the center of the pagoda, supporting the entire tower as tall as 31.5m. The major characteristic of this five-storied pagoda is the increasing gradation of the successful diminution percentage (ratio of decrease in size) from the tiled roof or the first story roof to the fifth story roof. Inside the sanctum of the first story, Buddhist images created with clay around the core wood are installed in the east, west, south and north directions. The prsent pagoda was destroyed by fire in 670 AD along with Horyuji Temple itself, and is said to have been reconstructed at the end of the 7th century.