Also written 揚土門; also called azuchimon 安土門. A gate with a mud roof. To support the roof the gate has two pillars…

Also called akazu-no-mon 不開門 or ikanmon 偉鑒門. Lit. closed gate. Legend has it that after Emperor Kazan 花山 (…

Lit. Buddha's gate. Also *nandaimon 南大門; *…

Also called reibyōmon 霊廟門. An entrance gate to a mausoleum. It can be an elaborate gate in two-storied or simulated…

A gate originally used only by the Emperor. Primarily found at Buddhist temples, it is usually a four-legged gate *…

1　Middle gate. The second or inner gate on the north-south axis of a temple compound in the ancient period…

A unique Chinese style four-legged gate made by Chinese carpenters in 1644 using imported, broad leaf cedar. It is located…

Also pronounced *ōmon. A generic term for a variety of styles of main gates. One…

A general term for gates belonging to the Imperial Palace, Kyoto Gosho 京都御所. The *Shōmei…

Also written 腋門, or read *wakimon 脇門. 

A small gate…

1　A gate in the corridor connecting the two halls Kyōshoden 校書殿 and Anpukuden 安福殿 in the Imperial Palace at…

Also called Kugyōmon 公卿門 or Karagomon 唐御門. A 4-legged gate *…

A five-bay gate. A five-bay, three-opening gate is called *goken-sanko 五間三戸…

Also read yatsuashimon. Also called sangenikkomon 三間一戸門 or sangen sankomon 三間三戸門 depending upon…

Lit. clam gate. One of the four gates on the westside of the outer enclosure of Kyoto Gosho 京都御所. Altogether there were nine…

Also written 塀中門 and sometimes read heichōmon; also called heichimon or heijimon 塀地門 or …

Also *karamon 唐門. A gate characterized by undulating bargeboards *…

Lit. diamond-shaped gate. Also called ōteguchi 大手口 (large front entrance). A two-storied turret gate *…

The first or main gate of a castle. At Matsuyamajō 松山城 in Ehime Prefecture, the gate plan was square *…

A gate at Heijō palace, Heijōkyū 平城宮 (8th century), in Nara that no longer exists but is mentioned in Shoku Nihongi…

Also called okusha karamon 奥社唐門. A gate with cast bronze doors or a gate that is entirely made of bronze. …

A gate at Kanazawajō 金沢城 (1788) in Ishikawa Prefecture. It is an excellent example of the square *…

Also read Shōmeimon, called *Kōmon 閤門. A large, single-storied gate…

Lit. a gate of more than one story. Jūsōmon is a gate with a large roof over the entire structure. A balcony,…

Also written kōmon 衡門. A roofless gate composed of two square gate posts *…

The front gate of Shurijō 首里城 in Okinawa Prefecture. It was burned down during World War 2 and rebuilt in 1974. It is an…

A richly decorated gate with bracket complexes *tokyō 斗きょう, placed on top…

Also read karakado. A generic term for a gate with undulating bargeboards *…

Also kayabukimon 茅葺門. Lit. a thatched roofgate.

1　A relatively small-scale thatched gate…

Temple and shrine gates, originally used only by the highest ranking people, especially the Fujiwara 藤原 family. During…

Also called Aouma-no-jin 白馬の陣. The front gate located near the center of the outer south earthen wall surrounding Kyoto…

Also called Hi-no-gomon 日の御門. One of the twelve gates originally enclosing Kyoto Gosho 京都御所. A four-legged gate *…

1　Also called *udegimon 腕木門. A gate that has transverse…

A group of gates that face north found outside the sacred areas of Ise Jingū 伊勢神宮. With the exception of the outermost fence…

A general purpose gate on the north side of a compound.

1　Also called ryūgūmon 竜宮門. A unique type of mausoleum gate *…

Also written 閣門. The gates on the inner enclosure of the Imperial Palace, and the small gates on each side of the Daigokuden…

Lit. rear gate. The best known is found at Kitano Tenmangū 北野天満宮. The gate is an example of *…

A type of gate, lit. Korean gate. Also formerly called *kabukimon…

Also kuginuki 釘貫. A roofless gate found at imperial tombs, mansions, and government check points. When the gate has…

1　A small low gate cut through an earth wall, tsuchibei 土塀, or timber fence *…

Also called anamon 穴門. Lit. cave gate. An arched side gate *kugurimon…

A unique gate at Sōfukuji 崇福寺 (rebuilt in 1827) in Nagasaki prefecture. The size is unusual for an eight-legged gate *…

A gate located south of the santuary Honden 本殿 at Kibitsu Jinja 吉備津神社 in Okayama prefecture. Images of two defied loyal…

The gates on the south side of Ise Jingū 伊勢神宮. They are large eight-legged gates *…

1　A gate originally used exclusively by the emperor. It had two main pillars and…

Gate. Also read kado. A suffix which refers to a gate, of which there are many types. Style: the structural style…

A gate that has two supporting posts, sodebashira 袖柱, in front of and behind the main pillars to carry the…

Also often read mukōkaramon. A four-legged gate *shikyakumon…

Also called munekado. A simple gate with two circular pillars, a gable roof *…

Also read naishimon. Traditionally, the timbergate through which virgin attendants entered a shrine. Structurally,…

According to the Shokunihongi 続日本紀, a gate leading to the waiting area for all officials, chōshūden…

The great south gate at Tōdaiji 東大寺 in Nara. The term is also used for the main south gate at other temples.

Lit. "How many bays? How many entrances?" Questions posed in order to ascertain the number of bays *…

A simple gate located in the northeast corner ofthe inner moat uchi-no-hori 内の濠 of the inner citadel Honmaru 本丸 (…

A two-storied gate that has a flanking roof that surrounds the lower story and most frequently has a hip-and-gable roof *…

Also read Jikkamon, written Nikkamon 日花門 (found in *Shōmei 匠明…

Also written 仁王門. A true two-storied gate *nijūmon 二重門, or a high gate *…

A middle gate *chūmon 中門 at a Buddhist temple. Usually it is an 8-…

Also read *daimon. Lit. large gate. A large gate that functions as the entrance…

A generic term for the main gates of an aristocratic dwelling. It applies especially to residences in the shinden…

Also read ōmunekado. A large gate that is similar to another type of gate called *…

A visitor's or regent's gate. A type of *yakuimon 薬医門 or *…

The red-painted front gate, 5 x 2 bays with three entrances that provided access from the south to enter the *…

Also written 蓮花門. Lit. "Lotus Flower Gate." A gate located in the west wall opposite main east gate, Tōdaimon 東大門 of…

A high gate that is often referred to as a two-storied gate, but in fact does not have two stories. Generally, it is an…

Lit. "dragon palace style." An uncommon double-storied gate. The lower story has a flat arched entrance whereby the same…

An eight-legged *hakkyakumon 八脚門, 3-bay wide, 1-entrance gate with a gable…

The Sakuheimon is the center gate on the north side of Kyoto Gosho 京都御所, during the end of the Heian period. It can be seen…

Also *sanmon 三門. The most famous example is the very large 21.05 m x 9.72 m gate at Zōjōji 増上寺…

Also called sanren āchimon 三連アーチ門. A gate with three arches, made within a stone wall.

Also written 山門; often called *sangedatsumon 三解脱門 meaning enlightenment gate. Main gate…

Also seibyōmon 聖廟門. Lit. "Confucian schoolgate." A 1 x 1 bay, single-story gate with a gable roof *…

Also called Sōjōmon 僧正門. The middle gate in the semi-opened, west corridor at Kasuga Taisha Honsha 春日大社本社 in Nara.…

A type of *yakuimon 薬医門. A 1-bay, single-entrance gate with side gates *…

1　Also read ishimon. A gate made almost entirely of stone, seen especially in Okinawa Prefecture.…

Also written 石墻門. Lit. "stone wall gate." A gate with either single or triple arch-like openings in a wall made of stacked…

Lit. "stone made gate."

1　Gates with arched entrances which are found in Okinawa Prefecture and…

Lit. "partition gate." A gate that partitions or closes off one area from another. Two examples of partition gates are found…

Also an old name read yotsuashimon and sometimes written 四足門; also called ikken-ikkomon 一間一戸門. A four-…

A gate located opposite the Shimizu 清水 moat (rebuilt 1658 ) at Edo-jō 江戸城, constructed in the *…

Also read shūrōmon. A two-storied temple gate in which a bell is hung, often found in Tendai 天台 sect temples. A…

1　The main entrance gate for many Zen temples. They are large, single-storied, 8-legged or 4-legged gates…

Also called Sakuradamon 桜田門. An entrance gate constructed 1664 at Edo-jō 江戸城 in Tokyo that preserves its…

A type of gate for temporary wooden enclosures. It is characterized by the attachment of horizontal, diagonal or vertical…

The front gate at the center of the south end of the outer enclosure that surrounded the palace compound at Heijō-kyō 平城京…

One of the gates in the inner enclosure of the old Edo-jō 江戸城. It preserves the *…

A unique gate at Himeji-jō 姫路城 'Nu'-no-mon 'ぬ'の門 (1601-10), Hyōgo Prefecture. It is tall and has a double story and…

The main, east gate of a temple compound.

A roofless gate set in an earthen wall. At Kyoto Gosho 京都御所, there are two such gates: the Upper East Gate, Jōtōmon 上東門, and…

Also called *kidomon 木戸門. A simple gate with two main posts…

A rear wing which extends from the main structure of a folk dwelling *minka…

Lit. "buried gate."

1　A gate constructed within the stone walls of a castle. It was used to connect…

Also read *ekimon 掖門. A side gate or a small gate on one or both sides of a…

Also called a watari yaguramon 渡櫓門 or just *watari yagura 渡櫓. A…

A gate with a gable roof constructed with two square or rectangular main posts and two square or circular secondary posts *…

An eight-legged gate *hakkyakumon 八脚門 (1653) located at Rinnōji Taiyūin…

1　The front gate of a warrior's manor house.

2　A gate, now called Kyū tōjin…