What Are Torii Gates?
Torii gates are iconic Japanese gateways found at the entrance to every Shinto shrine. They are said to be the boundary from the mundane world to the divine. Some shrines will have multiple torii that lead into the shrine, which represents delving deeper into the divine world. The presence of a torii is an easy way to tell if you are at a Shinto shrine versus a Buddhist temple. However, exceptions can be found as there are a few Buddhist temples in Japan that have torii within their grounds. One of the more the famous examples is Shitenno-ji temple in Osaka.
The most common style of torii gates consists of two large pillars (hashira), lintel(s), and a tie beam under the lintel. The lintels (kasagi) sit atop the pillars and the tie beam (nuki) sits slightly below the lintels. Most torii are vermillion colored (red-orange) with black across the upper lintel and at the feet of the hashira.
Normally torii are wooden, but they can be made of other materials, such as the stone torii at Shitenno-ji mentioned above.
There are two distinct families of torii: the shinmei and the myojin. The only real distinction between the families is that the shinmei have straight lintels and the myojin have curved lintels.
There are multiple types of torii within each family, each type with increasing complexity. The simplest of which is a shime torii, which consists of just two posts and a shimenawa (rice straw or hemp rope used for purification in Shintoism) tied between them. The next simplest shinmei torii has just the hashira, kasagi and nuki. However, they are all rounded without any inclination. Other styles of torii are progressively more ornate and complex looking.
Origins of the Torii Gate
The origin of torii is unclear, but there are multiple theories as to where these amazing structures come from. The most commonly accepted theory is that they are derived from the torana in India. The torana is also credited with inspiring the paifang gateways in China, Korean hongsalmun gateways, and the Sao Ching Cha (Giant Swing) in Thailand.
The spread of the torana came about during the spread of Buddhism from India. While there is a lot of evidence for torii being derived both architecturally and etymologically from torana, it’s unclear if torii directly came from Buddhism and India or existed beforehand in some way and were later influenced by torana.
Famous Torii Gates Across Japan
Floating Grand Torii of Itsukushima Shrine
Itsukushima Shrine is known as the floating shrine. It is located in Hiroshima bay and appears to sit on top of the water’s surface.
10,000 Gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine
At the Fushimi Inari Shrine there are over 10,000 vermillion torii gates that bestride paths behind the main buildings.
Oyunohara Otorii of Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine
Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine was destroyed in 1889 by a flood, but this massive torii was built in 2000. Made from steel, weighing 172 tons and standing 33.9 meters tall, it’s the largest torii gate in the world.
