Originally, the Tōba started as a stupa, where the remains of the Buddha were enshrined. With the passage of time, Buddhism was spread to other countries, and the stupa transformed into a five storied pagoda, where various sutra scrolls were placed instead of the remains of the Buddha. The five-storied pagoda represents the five elements of the universe (sky, wind, fire, water, and earth). The five story pagodas were very expensive to build. Eventually, the five-storied pagoda were replaced with flat wooden Tōba but kept the shapes of the five elements, and it became possible for any person to offer. Therefore, please look at the top of the Tōba as it symbolizes the head, face, chest, and belly, while under the Odaimoku symbolizes feet of the deceased person at where the names of your ancestors are written.