Keywords
Architecture
Gates
Lit. Buddha's gate. Also *nandaimon 南大門; *chūmon 中門. A gate considered to be of great importance according to the *shizaichō 資財帳, a work that designates official temples by number, and has been compiled by the Imperial Court since 783. Examples of butsumon include both the 7th century Chūmon and the 1459 Nandaimon at Hōryūji 法隆寺 in Nara. The former is 4-bays wide x 3-bays deep. It has two-openings, and is two-storied. The latter is an eight legged gate, 3 x 2 bays with 1-opening.