The hokyo-in-to is named after the religious text, or sutra, “Hokyou-in  darani” offered by devotees in China. It is similar to the gorin-no-to, but sutras and religious things were held in urns buried in the ground below the towers. Travelers gave prayers and held religious practices at hokyo-in-to locations. The design is also found in Japan from the Kamakura era.