Torii

A torii (Japanese: 鳥居) is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermilion. Some torii have tablets with writing mounted between the crossbars. Traditionally, torii are made of wood or stone. In recent times, makers have started to use steel and even stainless steel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Inari shrines typically have many torii. A person who has been successful in business often donates a torii in gratitude. The Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto has thousands of torii.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As hinted by the kanji (they mean: tori = bird, i = place), a torii is designed for birds to rest. This is because in Shintoism, birds are considered messengers of the god.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The origin of the torii is said to come from an old Japanese legend, when the sun goddess became extremely annoyed with her prankster brother. She hid herself in a cave and sealed the entrance with a rock, causing an eclipse. The people were afraid that if the sun never returned, they all would die. So, per the advice of a token wise old man, they built a large bird perch out of wood and placed all the town's roosters on this perch. They all started to crow noisily, causing the curious sun goddess to peek out of her cave. Having opened the door a crack, a large sumo wrestler from the town ran up and pushed the rock away, letting the sun out and thus the world was saved. That bird perch was the first torii gate. From then on, the torii became a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, and spread all over Japan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Similar structures can be found in Tai societies. Compare also to torana, in Hinduist and Buddhist architecture (India, Nepal).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Japanese: When used as an adjective, Japanese refers to anything that originates from Japan. It may refer to more than one article:...

Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....

Gate: :For alternate meanings see Gate (disambiguation)...

Torii related Images and Photos (experimental)

Torii Hunter	Torii Takaishima Honshu Japan 2002	O-Torii Gate Itsukushima Shrine Japan	Torii Hunter 2008 Batting Action
Fushimi-Inari Taisha "Torii Tunnels " Japan	Torii Hunter 2010 Spotlight Action	Stone Torii Tosho-Gu Shrine Nikko Central Honshu Japan	Torii Shrine Gate in the Sea Miyajima Island Honshu Japan
Traditional Torii with Inscription at Fushimi Inari Shrine Near Kyoto Kyoto Kinki Japan