A nijūmon (the sanmon of Tōfuku-ji, a National Treasure)

The nijūmon (二重門, lit. two-story gate) is one of two types of two-story gate presently used in Japan (the other one being the rōmon, see photo in the gallery below), and can be found at most Japanese Buddhist temples.^[1] This gate is distinguishable from its relative by the roof above the first floor which skirts the entire upper story, absent in a rōmon.^[2] Accordingly, it has a series of brackets (tokyō) supporting the roof's eaves both at the first and at the second story.^[3] In a rōmon, the brackets support a balcony. The tokyō are usually three-stepped (mitesaki) with tail rafters at the third step.^[4][3] A nijūmon is normally covered by a hip-and-gable roof.^[2]

Unlike a rōmon, whose second story is inaccessible and unusable, a nijūmon has stairs leading to the second story. Some gates have at their ends two sanrō (山廊), 2 x 1 bay structures housing the stairs.^[2] The second story of a nijūmon usually contains statues of Shakyamuni or of goddess Kannon, and of the 16 Rakan, and hosts periodical religious ceremonies.^[5] Large nijūmon' are 5 bays wide, 2 bays deep and have three entrances, however Tokyo's Zōjō-ji, the Tokugawa clan's funerary temple, has a gate which is 5 x 3 bays.^[2] Smaller ones are 3 x 2 bays and have one, two or even three entrances.^[2]

Of all temple gate types, the nujūmon has the highest status, and is accordingly used for important gates like the chūmon (middle gate) of ancient temples as Hōryū-ji.^[3] The sanmon, the gate of a Zen temple of highest prestige, is usually a nijūmon.^{[note 1]} Some nijūmon are called chūmon (中門, lit. middle gate) because they are situated between the entrance and the temple.^[2]

Gallery[edit]

• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  The Niōmon of Kōmyō-ji in Ayabe (National Treasure)
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  A nijūmon. Note the double roof.
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  A rōmon. Note the balcony and the single roof.
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  One of the sanrō of Tōfuku-ji's sanmon (detail of the photo above)
  

  
  

  
  

The second story of a nijūmon[edit]

Some interior images of the second story of a nijūmon, in this case Kōmyō-ji's sanmon in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture.

• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  The sanmon
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  The stairs to the second story
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  The second story
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Second story, exit to the balcony
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Sacred images in the main room
  

  
  

  
  

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• 
  Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten (岩波日本史辞典), CD-Rom Version. Iwanami Shoten, 1999-2001 (in Japanese)


• 
  "Nijuumon". JAANUS – Japanese Architecture and Art Net User System. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  


• 
  Fujita Masaya, Koga Shūsaku, ed. (April 10, 1990). Nihon Kenchiku-shi (in Japanese) (September 30, 2008 ed.). Shōwa-dō. ISBN 4-8122-9805-9.
  

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nijūmon.