nitenmon 二天門

A middle gate *chūmon 中門 at a Buddhist temple. Usually it is an 8-legged gate *hakkyakumon 八脚門, with an entrance through the center bay. It enshrines a statue of *Tamonten 多聞天 in the left bay which can be viewed from the front and one of *Zōchōten 増長天 in the right bay. This gate may be single storied or a high gate style *rōmon 楼門. The roof type and roofing materials vary. A gate of this type is believed to have existed in the Heian period. The oldest extant Nitenmon is at Saimyōji 西明寺 (1407) in Shiga Prefecture.