Torii

thumb|The torii at [[Itsukushima Shrine]]

A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred,

The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the simplest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon represents them on Japanese road maps and on Google Maps.

The first appearance of torii gates in Japan can be reliably pinpointed to at least the mid-Heian period; they are mentioned in a text written in 922.

Uses

The function of a torii is to mark the entrance to a sacred space. For this reason, the road leading to a Shinto shrine (sandō) is almost always straddled by one or more torii, which is one aspect that could help distinguish a Shinto shrine from a Buddhist temple. If the sandō passes under multiple torii, the outer of them is called . The following ones, closer to the shrine, are usually called, in order, and . Other torii can be found farther into the shrine to represent increasing levels of holiness as one nears the inner sanctuary (), core of the shrine. Osaka's Shitennō-ji, founded in 593 by Shōtoku Taishi and the oldest state-built Buddhist temple in the country (and world), has a torii straddling one of its entrances. (The original wooden torii burned in 1294 and was then replaced by one in stone.) Many Buddhist temples include one or more Shinto shrines dedicated to their tutelary kami ("Chinjusha"), and in that case a torii marks the shrine's entrance. Benzaiten is a syncretic goddess derived from the Indian divinity Sarasvati, who unites elements of both Shinto and Buddhism. For this reason halls dedicated to her can be found at both temples and shrines, and in either case in front of the hall stands a torii. The goddess herself is sometimes portrayed with a torii on her head.

Yamabushi, Japanese mountain ascetic hermits with a long tradition as mighty warriors endowed with supernatural powers, sometimes use as their symbol a torii. According to several scholars, the vast evidence shows how the torii, both etymologically and architecturally, were originally derived from the torana, a free-standing sacred ceremonial gateway which marks the entrance of a sacred enclosure, an element prominent in Indian Buddhist architecture. The hypothesis arose in the 19th and 20th centuries due to similarities in structure and name between the two gates. Linguistic and historical theories have now emerged, but no conclusion has yet been reached. Unlike its Chinese counterpart, the hongsal-mun does not vary greatly in design and is always painted red, with "arrowsticks" located on the top of the structure (hence the name). Another hypothesis takes the name literally: the gate would originally have been some kind of bird perch. This is based on the religious use of bird perches in Asia, such as the Korean sotdae (솟대), which are poles with one or more wooden birds resting on their top. Commonly found in groups at the entrance of villages together with totem poles called jangseung, they are talismans which ward off evil spirits and bring the villagers good luck. "Bird perches" similar in form and function to the sotdae exist also in other shamanistic cultures in China, Mongolia and Siberia. Although they do not look like torii and serve a different function, these "bird perches" show how birds in several Asian cultures are believed to have magic or spiritual properties, and may therefore help explain the enigmatic literal meaning of the torii's name ("bird perch").

In Japan, birds have also long had a connection with the dead, this may mean it was born in connection with some prehistorical funerary rite. Ancient Japanese texts like the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki for example mention how Yamato Takeru after his death became a white bird and in that form chose a place for his own burial. Intriguingly, in both Korea and Japan single poles represent deities (kami in the case of Japan) and is the counter for kami.

The kasagi and the shimaki may have an upward curve called .
The nuki is often held in place by wedges (). The kusabi in many cases are purely ornamental.
At the center of the nuki there may be a supporting strut called , sometimes covered by a tablet carrying the name of the shrine (see photo in the gallery).
The pillars often rest on a white stone ring called or . The stone is sometimes replaced by a decorative black sleeve called .
At the top of the pillars there may be a decorative ring called .

Styles

Structurally, the simplest is the (see illustration below). Probably one of the oldest types of torii, it consists of two posts with a sacred rope called shimenawa tied between them.

All other torii can be divided in two families, the and the . Torii of the first have only straight parts, the second have both straight and curved parts. In its simplest form, all four elements are rounded and the pillars have no inclination. When the nuki is rectangular in section, it is called Yasukuni torii, from Tokyo's Yasukuni Jinja. It is believed to be the oldest torii style.

Ise torii

(see illustration above) are gates found only at the Inner Shrine and Outer Shrine at Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. For this reason, they are also called Jingū torii, from Jingū, Ise Grand Shrine's official Japanese name.

This and the shinmei torii style started becoming more popular during the early 20th century at the time of State Shinto because they were considered the oldest and most prestigious.

This torii was the first to be painted vermilion and to adopt a shimaki at Kasuga Taisha, the shrine from which it takes its name.

Myōjin family

The Myōjin torii and its variants are characterized by curved lintels.

File:Myoujin torii.svg|Myōjin torii – kasagi and shimaki are curved upwards.

File:Nakayama Torii.svg|Nakayama torii – a myōjin torii, but the nuki does not protrude from the pillars.

File:Inari - daiwa torii.svg|Daiwa or Inari torii – A myōjin torii with rings at the top of the pillars

File:Ryoubu Torii.svg|Ryōbu torii – a daiwa torii with pillars supported on both sides

File:Miwa torii.svg|Miwa torii – a triple myōjin torii

File:Usa torii.svg|Usa torii – a myōjin torii with no gakuzuka

File:Nune torii.svg|Nune torii – a daiwa torii with a small gable above the gakuzuka

File:Sannou torii.svg|Sannō torii – a myōjin torii with a gable above the kasagi

File:Hizen torii.svg|alt=Hizen torii – an unusual style with a rounded kasagi and thick, flared pillars.|Hizen torii – an unusual style with a rounded kasagi and thick, flared pillars

</gallery>

Photo gallery

File:Entrance to Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine.jpg|Myōjin torii

File:Hiyoshi-taisha03s4592.jpg|Sannō torii

File:Hushimi-inari-taisha omotesando.jpg|Daiwa torii. Note the daiwa rings at the top of the pillars.

File:Sumiyoshi Taisha3.jpg|The Sumiyoshi torii has pillars with a square cross-section.

File:Nakayama Jinja 01.JPG|Nakayama torii

File:Itsukushima torii angle.jpg|Ryōbu torii

File:Hibara-jinja, torii closeup.jpg|Miwa Torii

File:Ushinoo Shrine Hizen Torii in Ogi.jpg|The has a rounded kasagi and thick flared pillars.

File:Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha daitorii.jpg|Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha

File:Fushimi Inari1.JPG|Senbon torii at Fushimi Inari-taisha

File:Hidatorii.jpg|Torii in the Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village

File:Kamakuragu Shrine @ Kamakura (12698198154).jpg|White and red torii at Kamakura-gū

</gallery>

Myōjin torii

The , by far the most common torii style, are characterized by curved upper lintels (kasagi and shimaki). Both curve slightly upwards. Kusabi are present. A myōjin torii can be made of wood, stone, concrete or other materials and be vermilion or unpainted.

Nakayama torii

The style, which takes its name from Nakayama Jinja in Okayama Prefecture, is basically a myōjin torii, but the nuki does not protrude from the pillars and the curve made by the two top lintels is more accentuated than usual. The torii at Nakayama Shrine that gives the style its name is 9 m tall and was erected in 1791. The name derives from its long association with Ryōbu Shintō, a current of thought within Shingon Buddhism. The famous torii rising from the water at Itsukushima is a ryōbu torii, and the shrine used to be also a Shingon Buddhist temple, so much so that it still has a pagoda.

Hizen torii

The is an unusual type of torii with a rounded kasagi and pillars that flare downwards. They are found only in Saga prefecture and the neighboring areas.

Gallery

File:NikkoToriiTablet5127.jpg|A tablet on a torii at Nikkō Tōshō-gū covers the gakuzuka.

File:Pentagonal kasagi.jpg|The typical pentagonal profile of a torii's kasagi. Note the black nemaki.

File:Yamasa Kamaboko HQ 04.jpg|A row of torii

File:Nagasaki One Legged Torii C1946.jpg|One-legged torii, Sannō Shrine, Nagasaki, Japan. The other half was toppled in the explosion of the nuclear bomb.

File:Kamakura-gu-torii.jpg|An unusual white and red Nakayama torii

File:Nunakumajinja05s1980.jpg|A shime torii

File:Zeniarai Benten Shrine inside.jpg|alt=Rows of tiny votive torii donated by the faithful.|Rows of tiny votive torii donated by the faithful

File:Sumiyoshi-taisha, Wakamiya-hachimangu.jpg|An unusual at Sumiyoshi Taisha: the nuki does not protrude and all members are square in section.

File:Christmas lights and Torii, Sendai 2012.JPG|A temporary Torii for new year celebration in a shopping street decorated with Christmas lights

File:Grand torii of Hakozaki Shrine 2.jpg|An example of a Hizen style gate

File:The Hayashi Department Store 林デパート林百貨頂樓神社.jpg|A torii in Hayashi Department Store, Tainan, Taiwan. The kasagi part was broken after World War II

</gallery>

Uses

Styles

Ise torii

Myōjin family

Photo gallery

Myōjin torii

Nakayama torii

Hizen torii

Gallery

See also

Explanatory notes