The Japanese red gates towering above the water are majestic at Itsukushima Shrine. Thousands of thoriums in Kyoto's most famous Fushimi Inari. These world-famous gates have become a symbol of Japan. What do they mean? Why are they simultaneously considered both a symbol of great luck and a passage to the other world?
Simple construction - sacred meaning
Torii is a famous Japanese gate, usually installed in the territory of temple complexes. They are an uncomplicated structure of two pillars connected by two crossbars, the upper of which resembles the roof of Japanese temples.
Initially, the gate was completely made without an upper roof - two pillars with a crossbeam of a certain proportion. Unpainted simple construction, symbolizing the whole focus of Japanese culture and wisdom. Later, the upper crossbar was added to the gate, then they began to make it intricate in shape. And in the last turn, the torii turned red.
Legend of the sun
Why does the Japanese torii gate have such a contradictory meaning - and luck, and a symbol of the transition to the other world?
Legend has it that the sun goddess Amaterasu, angry at her brother who ravaged her rice fields, hid in a dark cave. She blocked the entrance with a huge stone and did not want to leave her shelter anymore. The whole world plunged into darkness.
People realized that without the sun they would perish, and decided by all means to lure the beautiful goddess out of the cave. Then they built a huge bird perch at the entrance - the future Japanese gate, on which they put all the roosters they could find. The birds made an unimaginable noise, and the curious Amaterasu looked out to see what was happening.
Then the sun returned to heaven, and the Japanese gate became a symbol of great luck.
Entrance to the world of spirits
Torii symbolize not only luck. They are also a passage to the other world. Japanese gates are scattered throughout the Land of the Rising Sun, and they can be found not only in large temple complexes.
If during a walk through the woods, somewhere in a completely inappropriate place, a blind path leads you to thorium, it means that it was the spirits that brought you here to think about yourself, life, your place in it and your affairs.
The Japanese gate is a favorite resting place for birds - not surprising, because according to legend, they were built as a bird's perch. The Japanese faithfully believe that, flying away, birds take with them the souls of the dead.
Passing through torii, you need to be ready to meet with spirits and the dead, because the gate symbolizes not only the entrance, but also the transformation of consciousness.
Step by step approaching the shrine
Torii gates are an integral part of Shinto shrines. They mean a kind of border beyond which the sacred space begins, and therefore, when entering the torii you need to bow your head or make a small bow.
Their size and quantity are directly related to the size of the sanctuary. The first, largest torii mean entering the sacred place, each subsequent, as a rule, lower and smaller than the previous ones and mean a gradual approach to the shrine.
Often you can see in the photo a Japanese red gate. Many believe that all torii look like this. But this is not a true idea. Only the thoriums of the Inari and Usa shrines are painted red, the rest are neutral or white.
Most often, gates are made of wood, but torii are often made of marble, stone and even reinforced concrete structures.
Gates running through the waves
Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan's most popular and recognizable places. Initially, it was erected in honor of the three daughters of the god Susanoo-no Mikoto, but since then it has been repeatedly destroyed and remade.
It is believed that people were never born or died on the island, since for a long time the entrance there was closed for mere mortals. The island is famous for its five-tiered pagoda, wooden buildings connected by galleries and a house built on stilts on the water.
The entrance to the sanctuary is symbolized by 16-meter Japanese torii gate. Their photo is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Land of the Rising Sun. These gates were built on the territory of the bay, at some distance from the temple complex, and each time at high tide they are immersed in water. Low tide creates the impression that this magnificent structure itself glides on the surface of the water.
Torii Arcade in Kyoto
The second most popular and recognizable Japanese monument with a Japanese-style gate is the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, located in Kyoto. Here, thousands of thoriums, set one after another, form a kind of gallery, arcade, mysterious and mysterious.
A corridor almost five kilometers long leads along the mountain to the five main chapels of the temple. It is also noteworthy that all the torii located here are donations from individuals or large corporations.
The torii is set in such a way that sunbeams pass through the beams, creating an indescribable mysterious atmosphere. But the best time to visit this place is late at night, when the lights inside the maze create an unknown mystical atmosphere.
The biggest torii
Some of the largest Japanese gates are located at the entrance to the Shinto shrine of Heian Jing. The building itself depicts the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
This sanctuary was built in 1895 in honor of the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto. The red gates are called Oten-mon, stand 1.5 kilometers from the temple and are considered the highest in Japan.
The temple itself is surrounded by four gardens where sakura, irises and wisteria grow. Everything here is organized strictly according to the principles of Feng Shui.
Torii in Russia
However, to see the famous Japanese gate, it is not at all necessary to go to the Land of the Rising Sun. One of the gates is located on the territory of the Russian Federation, on the island of Sakhalin.
There, in 1922, the Japanese Shinto shrine of Tomarioru Jinja was located. The entrance to it was through the white marble gates of Torii, which are still preserved. This place is located near the village of Vzmorye.
Gates surviving a nuclear explosion
The single-column torii gate in Nagasaki is a symbol of rebirth and continuation of life. The Sanno Jinja Temple Complex was located 900 meters from the epicenter of a nuclear bomb detonated during World War II.
The torii in the Shinto shrine were built of white stone. During the bombardment, one of the columns was shot down, but the second resisted surprisingly, turning 30 degrees.
These torii still silently recall the horror that occurred at that time.
The real symbol of Japan
It is impossible to calculate at least an approximate number of gates in Japan. Shinto temples and shrines, according to scientists, there are approximately 85 thousand in the Land of the Rising Sun. In each of them there can be an infinite number of thoriums.
The fact is that the number of gates depends only on the generosity of the donors, since the gates to the temples are traditionally given to corporations and private individuals in honor of some significant event for themselves.
Often, gates can be found in lost forests, on the outskirts of cities or on the coast. What they do there and the entrance to which of the shrines symbolize - some spirits know.
The size of the gate varies from several tens of meters in height to meter, where only a child or a bent adult will pass.
At different times, torii was decorated with coats of arms of various noble families, and over time became the unwritten symbol of Japan.
