Stone Pagodas of Hinoshima

On a sandbar at the southern end of Hinoshima Island, over 70 stone pagodas mark a medieval cemetery used by Goto traders and seafarers. Most were erected between the late 1300s and 1400s, when these mariners traded and raided along the coasts of Korea and China. Many pagodas are made from stone types found only around Wakasa Bay or near present-day Osaka, suggesting the stones arrived as ballast on returning trade ships. The common gorinto design represents the five Buddhist elements: earth, water, fire, air, and void, each as a distinct geometric shape.