Asandō (参道; visiting path) inJapanese architecture is the road approaching either aShinto shrine or aBuddhist temple.[1] Its point of origin is usually straddled in the first case by a Shintotorii, in the second by a Buddhistsanmon, gates which mark the beginning of the shrine's or temple territory. The worddō (道) can refer both to a path or road, and to the path of one's life's efforts.[2] There can also bestone lanterns and other decorations at any point along its course.
Asandō can be called a front sandō (表参道,omote-sandō), if it is the main entrance, or a rear sandō (裏参道,ura-sandō) if it is a secondary point of entrance, especially to the rear; side sandō (脇参道,waki-sandō) are also sometimes found. The famousOmotesandō district in Tokyo, for example, takes its name from the nearby main access path toMeiji Shrine where anura-sandō also used to exist.[3]
