weather wheel; spirit communication pillar
A pillar with a wheel, found near graveyards and temples, used for divination and communicating with the dead. This is a specialized cultural term.
A weather wheel stood behind the old temple.
It is said that the weather wheel was used for communicating with the dead and for divination.
sun pillar
An atmospheric optical phenomenon; a vertical column of light appearing above or below the sun. Also called 太陽柱.
See also: 太陽柱
On a winter morning, a sun pillar appeared in the sky.
The term combines 天気 (weather) and 輪 (wheel/ring). The derivation is uncertain; the first sense likely refers to a wheel-shaped object used in folk practices, while the second sense is a calque or extension based on the visual appearance of a pillar of light.