Munemon: two posts, one story, e.g. Enshōji Temple, Nara Prefecture.
Shikyakumon : four posts, one story, e.g. Enryakuji Temple, Shiga Prefecture.
Yatsuashimon: eight posts, one story, e.g. Ishiyamadera Temple, Shiga Prefecture.
Rōmon: eight or twelve posts, two stories, one roof, e.g. Tōdaiji Temple, Nara City.
Nijūmon: eight or twelve posts, two stories, two roofs, e.g. Chionin Temple, Kyoto City.
The entrance to the compounds of most major Shinto shrines consists of a Buddhist style gate, e.g. Heian Shrine, Kyoto City.
Ornate Karamon Gate at Nishi Honganji, a Pure Land Temple in Kyoto.
Gate at Hirosaki Castle in northern Japan.
Torii gate at one of the subsidiary shrines at the Gekū compound of Ise Jingū.
A good example of the use of gates to symbolize power is the samurai gate. The third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, required that all daimyo scheduled to receive an official shogunal visit (onari) at their Edo residence must prepare for the occasion by building special facilities, the most important of which was an elaborate gate known as onarimon.
None of these Edo onarimon have survived, but the style is exemplified by the karamon of Nishi Honganji Temple in Kyoto. Originally an imperial messenger gate at Hideyoshi’s Momoyama Castle at Fushimi, the gate was moved to Nishi Honganji when Hideyoshi’s castle was dismantled. It was rebuilt for a visit by Iemitsu in 1632. The emperor followed a similar custom. When he scheduled a visit to a temple or palace, or sent a delegate on his behalf, special facilities, including an imperial gate, had to be prepared.
Shrine, temple, and samurai gates are largely symbolic, in contrast to castle gates, which had great practical significance in terms of defense. Many castles were built in the Momoyama Period (1573–1600) when Japan was in the process of being unified militarily. If an invader managed to cross the moat, he had to pass through the main gate (Ōtemon) and follow a labyrinthine passage that included many gates and dead ends. There are three basic types of castle gates. The first, kōraimon (Korean style gate), has a gabled roof resting on posts. The second, uzumimon (embedded gate), is built directly into the walls of the castle, while the third, yaguramon, is a wooden structure with a hip-and-gable roof resting on a stone wall. Uzumimon gates, basically holes in the wall, could be sealed with dirt and gravel if the enemy attempted to force its way inside, and yaguramon gates could be barred with heavy wooden doors reinforced with iron plates. The main gate played both a defensive and symbolic role in that its size and structure provided an indication of a daimyo’s influence and wealth.
In the Edo Period, commoners were normally forbidden to build residential gates. When average citizens began building gates for their private homes in the Meiji Period, they tended to be quite imposing to balance the large roofs of traditional houses. In recent years, there has been a tendency to construct residences with a more open and friendly design.
Simple wooden gate with a shingled roof and stone path.
Ceremonial gate to the 1894 Satō country house, Oomagari City, Akita Prefecture.
There is no set design for garden gates and they can be made with a variety of materials.
Japanese garden entrance in Toyama Japan with a wooden gate, bamboo fence, and stone path.
Entrance to the garden of Tenjuan subtemple at Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto.
A walled compound with an entrance gate, however, continues to be a popular status marker. Traditional style houses, as well as some modern homes, have small gardens, frequently set apart by an informal fence and entrance gate. The purpose of a residential garden and gate is not so much to impress others as to provide a sense of intimacy and relaxation in a busy world. Whereas formal entry gates are primarily for others, residential gardens and gates are for their owners.
Pre-Buddhist Cultures
In prehistoric times, people entered Japan from various parts of Asia. Originally hunters and gatherers, these early inhabitants eventually developed pottery, agriculture, permanent settlements, and increasingly sophisticated types of architecture. People were organized into clans, one of which gradually assumed dominance to establish the Yamato State and an imperial line that is still on the throne today.
Pre-Ceramic Period (?–10000 BCE)
During the last Ice Age (Pleistocene Epoch), much of the water in the oceans was captured by glaciers, thereby lowering sea levels around the world. Some time before the end of the Pleistocene, when Kyushu and Hokkaido were still easily accessible from the Asian mainland because of low sea levels, different groups of hunting and gathering peoples entered Japan. Some entered southern Japan via the Korean Peninsula; some entered northern Japan via the northern island of Sakhalin; while others may have come directly from the south by boat.
Thus the Japanese people are not a homogeneous race as many believe. These early Paleolithic inhabitants had a variety of sophisticated stone tools but they lacked pottery or settled agriculture. Very little is known about their appearance or way of life, though archaeological evidence is gradually accumulating.
A flatland building (heichi jūkyo) in which poles were sloped to the top and thatched, serving as both walls and roof. The ground served as the floor.
