Nikkō Tōshō-gū'somote-mon (front gate) structurally is ahakkyakumon (eight-legged gate)
Mon (門,gate) is a generic Japanese term forgate often used, either alone or as a suffix, in referring to the many gates used byBuddhist temples,Shinto shrines and traditional-style buildings and castles.
Unlike gates of secular buildings, most temple and shrine gates are purely symbolic elements ofliminality, as they cannot be completely closed and just mark the transition between the mundane and the sacred.[1][2] In many cases, for example that of thesanmon, a temple gate has purifying, cleansing properties.
Gate size is measured inken, where aken is the interval between two pillars of a traditional-style building. A temple'srōmon for example can have dimensions from a maximum of 5x2ken to a more common 3x2ken, down to even oneken.[3] The word is usually translated in English as "bay" and is better understood as an indication of proportions than as a unit of measurement.
Their location, as thechūmon (中門,lit. "intermediate gate") or of the omotemon (表門,lit. front gate) or the karametemon (搦手門,lit. back entrance gate).
The deity they house, as theNiōmon (lit. "Niō gate", see below), a gate enshrining two gods calledNiō in its outer bays.
Their structure or shape, as thenijūmon (lit. "two-story gate", see below) and therōmon (lit. tower gate).
Their function, as thesanmon (see below), which is the most important gate of aZen orJōdo temple.
Not all such terms are mutually exclusive and the same gate may be called with different names according to the situation. For example, aNiōmon can also be correctly called anijūmon if it has two stories.
Very different structurally from the others is thetoriimon (normally called simplytorii), a two-legged gate in stone or wood regularly associated with Shinto, but common also within Japanese Buddhist temples.[5] As prominent a temple asOsaka'sShitennō-ji, founded in 593 byShōtoku Taishi and the oldest state-built Buddhist temple in the country, has atorii straddling one of its entrances.[6] The origins of thetorii are unknown; although several theories on the subject exist, none has gained universal acceptance.[5] Because the use of symbolic gates is widespread in Asia—such structures can be found for example inIndia,China,Vietnam,Thailand,Korea, and withinNicobarese andShompen villages—historians believe it may be an imported tradition. It most often symbolically marks the entrance of a Shinto shrine. For this reason, it is never closed.
Hakkyakumon orYatsuashimon (八脚門,eight-legged gate) – so called because of its eight secondary pillars, which support four main pillars standing under the gate's ridge. It therefore really has twelve pillars altogether.[7]
Heijūmon (塀重門) – A gate in a wall consisting in just two square posts.[8]
Kabukimon (冠木門) – A gate in a wall formed by two square posts and a horizontal beam.[9]
Kōraimon (高麗門,lit. Korean gate) – Used at castles, temples anddaimyō residences, it consists of a tiled, gabled roof on two pillars, plus two smaller roofs over the secondary pillars (控柱,hikaebashira) on the rear of the gate.[10]
Masugata (枡形). A defensive structure consisting in a courtyard along the wall of a castle with two gates set at a square angle, one giving access to the castle and one facing the outside. The external gate is typically akōraimon, the internal one ayaguramon.[11] The Sakuradamon atTokyo's Imperial Palace is such a gate.
Munamon (棟門) – A gate formed by two pillars sustaining a gabled roof. Similar to akōraimon, but lacking the roofed secondary pillars.
Nagayamon (長屋門) lit.nagaya gate – Anagaya, literally a long house, was a row house where low status samurai used to live, and thenagayamon was a gate that allowed traffic from one side of the structure to the other.[12]
Nijūmon – A two-storied gate with a pent roof between the two stories. Distinguishable from the similarrōmon for having a pent roof between stories.[13]
Niōmon – A gate enshrining in its two outerbays the statues of two warden gods, theNiō.
Rōmon – A two-storied, single roofed gate where the second story is inaccessible and offers no usable room. Distinguishable from the similarnijūmon for not having a pent roof between stories.[13]
Sanmon – The most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple.[14] Also used by other schools, particularly the Jōdo. Its importance notwithstanding, thesanmon is not the first gate of the temple, and in fact it usually stands between thesōmon (outer gate) and thebutsuden (lit. "Hall of Buddha", i.e. the main hall).
Sōmon – the gate at the entrance of a temple.[15] It often precedes the bigger and more importantsanmon.
Torii – This distinctive symbolic gate is usually associated with Shinto shrines; however, it is common at Buddhist temples too, as most have at least one.
Uzumimon (埋門; lit. "buried gate") – Gates opened in a castle wall. Because they were used to connect surfaces at different levels, they looked as if they were buried in the ground.[16]
Yakuimon (薬医門) – A gate having no pillars under the ridge of its gabled gate, and supported by four pillars at its corners.[15][17]
Shikyakumon orYotsuashimon (四脚門,four-legged gate) – so called because of its four secondary pillars which support two main pillars standing under the gate's ridge. It therefore really has six pillars.[18]
