the reason japanese pagoda roofs decline in size is
Japanese pagoda The edge of a pagoda's eaves forms a straight line, with each following edge being shorter than the other. The more difference in length (a parameter called teigen (逓減, gradual diminution) in Japanese) between stories, the more solid and secure the pagoda seems to be. Both teigen and the finial are greater in older pagodas, giving them a sense of solidity.[5] Vice versa, recent pagodas tend to be steeper and have shorter finials, creating svelter silhouettes.
Honshu Honshu had a population of 103 million as of 2005[update],[citation needed] mostly concentrated in the coastal lowlands, notably in the Kantō plain where 25% of the total population resides in the Greater Tokyo Area.[citation needed] As the historical center of Japanese culture and political power,[citation needed] the island includes several past Japanese capitals, including Kyoto, Nara, and Kamakura. Much of the island's southern shore forms part of the Taiheiyō Belt, a megalopolis that spans several of the Japanese islands.