byōmon 廟門

Also called reibyōmon 霊廟門. An entrance gate to a mausoleum. It can be an elaborate gate in two-storied or simulated two-storied style *rōmon 楼門, building, or the front and back of the gate can be of undulating gable-style gate *karamon 唐門; or it can be a rare type of karamon with undulating gables found on the front, back, and both sides of the gate. The earliest byōmon was built in 1599 as an entrance to the mausoleum known as the Toyokunibyō 豊国廟, enshrining the remains of Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉 (1536-98). This was a rōmon type gate. The early 17th-century Tokugawa 徳川 mausoleum at Nikkō 日光, Tochigi Prefecture, has several byōmon: a front gate of stone dedicated to *Niō 仁王; the *Yōmeimon 陽明門 enshrining statues of Zuijin 随身; and a karamon in front of the shrine surrounded by an openwork fence. All of these gates are eight-legged *hakkyakumon 八脚門, elaborately embellished with brilliant lacquer, ornate relief sculpture, and exquisite metalwork.