In the shadow of Dali's Cang Mountain, inside the modern Demigods and Semi-Devils Film City, stands a six-meter-tall stone monument. This is the Four Japanese Monks' Stupa, a spindle-shaped, hollow stone pagoda built during the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty, between 1368 and 1398. It serves as a joint tomb for four Japanese Buddhist monks who were exiled to this remote southwestern frontier of China.

Their journey began with political turmoil. Following the Hu Weiyong political scandal of 1380, the Ming court imposed strict sea bans. Several Japanese monks studying in China were banished to Yunnan. Ten of these monks, including Luguan Gu, Dounan Yongjie, Jixian, and Tianxiang, found shelter at the nearby Hongsheng Temple. They learned the local language, integrated into the community, and composed Classical Chinese poetry. Their verses captured regional scenes, such as the unusual custom of selling Cang Mountain snow in the heat of June. When they died, local residents buried them together under this stone structure.

The architecture of the stupa reflects its unique history. Traditional pagodas in Dali face east. This monument faces west, looking back toward the monks' distant homeland. It consists of three parts: a hexagonal stone base measuring 2.4 meters high, a hollow spindle-shaped body standing 2.9 meters tall, and a decorative finial. An oval entrance opens on the western side. On the northern side, a niche gate once held a Sanskrit inscription tablet, though centuries of wind and rain have worn the carvings away. Today, the dark, weathered stone blocks are covered with peeling patches of old plaster and topped with a crown of dry, wild grass.

In 2005, during the filming of Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, Japanese actor Ken Takakura and Chinese director Zhang Yimou noticed the decaying monument. They donated one million Japanese yen to fund its restoration, preserving this physical link between two cultures. In 2012, the Yunnan provincial government designated the stupa as a protected cultural relic, ensuring that the quiet memory of these exiled poets remains preserved in stone.