The is one of two types of two-storied gates used in Japan (the other one being the '' nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by

Buddhist architecture Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the sacred architecture, religious architecture of History of Buddhism, early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate ...

, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

s. Its otherwise normal upper story is inaccessible and therefore offers no usable space. It is in this respect similar to the ''

tahōtō A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Vajrayana, Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories (two). (The second story has ...

'' (a two-storied pagoda) and the multi-storied pagoda, neither of which offers, in spite of appearances, usable space beyond the first story. In the past, the name also used to be sometimes applied to double-roof gates. This extremely common single-roof gate was developed from the double-roofed ''nijūmon'', replacing the flanking roof above the first floor with a very shallow balcony with a

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

that skirts the entire upper story. Therefore, while the ''nijūmon'' has a series of brackets ('' tokyō'') supporting the roof's

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

both at the first and at the second story, in the ''rōmon'' at the first floor these brackets just support the balcony, and have a different structure. The ''tokyō'' are usually three-stepped ( ''mitesaki''), but at the first floor they lack tail rafters.For details, see the article Tokyō ''Rōmon'' structure can vary greatly in its details. The upper area behind the balustrade for example can have muntined windows or a single window in the center bay. Side bays can be covered with white plaster. ''Rōmon'' usually, but not always, have a hip-and-gable ('' irimoya'') roof. Dimensions go from

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...

's 5 bays to the more common 3-bays, down to even one bay.

Gallery

File:Udo Jingu Roumon.jpg, A ''rōmon''. Note the single roof. File:San-mon gate in Zenkoji temple at Nagano city Japan.jpg, A ''nijūmon''. Note the double roof.

References

Bibliography

* Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten (岩波日本史辞典), CD-Rom Version. Iwanami Shoten, 1999-2001 (in Japanese) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romon Gates in Japan Japanese architectural features Japanese Buddhist architecture Shinto architecture

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography