This area used to be called "Mizu-gashira (water head)" and had a dock for the Shimabara Inner Harbor, as well as being the most prosperous area in the castletown. It was completely destroyed by the collapse of Mt. Mayuyama in 1792, and most of its residents drowned in the tsunami. This massive disaster resulted in the death of 9,640 people in 17 villages of Shimabara domain, and on the other side of the Ariake Sea, 4,653 people in Kumamoto and 344 people in Amakusa.
The monk of Ichijo Temple in Unzen asked the lord of Shimabara domain for permission to set up a memorial stone for the victims. With the help of local influencial figures, he built a 3-meter high stone pagoda in March 1793, one year after the disaster.