An Eight-Legged Gate with a Pair of Guardians
The Fumonji Temple Niomon Gate (普門寺仁王門) is a refined eight-legged gate of the mid-Edo period in Unoyacho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
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The Agency records a single-storey timber gate with a copper roof and a building area of 23 square metres, altered in 1996; registration number 23-0615.
An Eight-Legged Gate Housing Two Guardians
The Niomon Gate of Fumonji faces south at the entrance to the precinct; it is an eight-legged gate with a hipped copper roof, two-step brackets and two layers of close-set rafters (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The central bay is an open passage without doors, with a carved frog-leg strut on the curved tie beam above.
Guardian fences and horizontal lattices close the back of the side bays, which house a pair of guardian kings (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the building as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the carved frog-leg strut over the passage and the guardian kings in the side bays (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Fumonji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Aichi Prefecture tourism site, the main hall and Daishi Hall are opened from 9:00 to 15:45 during the maple festival from late November to early December, for 700 yen (free for those aged 17 and under). It is about 45 minutes by car from Toyokawa IC on the Tomei Expressway or 15 minutes by taxi from JR Futagawa Station, with free parking for 200 cars. The six registered buildings are introduced together on the Fumonji Temple page.
Q&A
- When was the gate built?
- In the mid-Edo period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What type of gate is it?
- An eight-legged gate with a hipped copper roof.
- What does it house?
- A pair of guardian kings.
- How is it regarded?
- As a refined gate with fine carving.
- When was the Fumonji Temple Niomon Gate registered?
- On August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Fumonji Temple Niomon Gate (普門寺仁王門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7 Unoyacho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2025/08/06 (Reiwa 7) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, copper roof, 23 m² |
| Owner | Fumonji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Main hall and Daishi Hall opened during the autumn maple festival (Aichi Prefecture) |
References
- Fumonji Temple Niomon Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015463
- Fumonji maple festival (Aichi Now, official Aichi Prefecture tourism site, Japanese)
- https://aichinow.pref.aichi.jp/spots/detail/1787/
Last verified: 2026.10.24
