What Is Shinryuji Temple Main Gate?
Shinryuji Temple Main Gate (真龍寺山門, Shinryū-ji Sanmon) is a gate built in 1948 that opens at the south front of Shinryuji Temple in Nagara, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, and was entered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 31, 2022. It is a timber gate with a tiled roof and a frontage of 2.8 meters.
It is a Yakuimon under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof, and its flanking Sodobei walls include a small wicket door. The date comes from an ink inscription on a beam.
A Gate Rebuilt After a Typhoon
According to Gifu City's chronology, the temple's earlier gate was brought down by a typhoon in 1921. The present Shinryuji Temple Main Gate was rebuilt 27 years later, in 1948, restoring the temple's front in the years just after the war.
Its master carpenter was Murase Shogo, who, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, was a pupil of the carpenter who built the Bell Tower.
Why the Main Gate Was Registered
The Shinryuji Temple Main Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. As the temple's front, set against Mount Dodogamine, it shapes the local scene.
Gifu City highlights its rich carved decoration, the frog-leg strut in particular, and notes that it stands alongside the plainer Bell Tower in giving the grounds their character.
The Dragon Strut and the Lattice Ceiling
A yakuimon carries its roof on two main posts at the front and two auxiliary posts behind, with the ridge set slightly toward the main posts. The eaves of the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate use futanoki shigedaruki, doubled rafters packed closely together, so the eave edge reads as a fine, even line.
From the front, look first at the Kaerumata, a strut shaped like a frog's splayed legs that both carries load and serves as ornament. On this gate it is carved with a finely detailed dragon, the creature that also appears in the temple's name. Step under the gate and look up to see the ceiling, a Gō-tenjō grid divided again by slender lattice strips.
Visiting the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate
The Shinryuji Temple Main Gate stands at the south front of the grounds. From directly in front you can make out the dragon on the strut; from beneath, the lattice ceiling. The Agency photographed the gate from the southwest, a viewpoint that takes in the wicket door in the side wall, the overlapping roofs and the ridge of Mount Dodogamine behind.
The gate is the temple's everyday entrance, so keep clear of people passing through. No admission fee or photography policy is posted.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gifu
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shinryuji Temple Main Gate
- [ Shirakawago & Takayama Old Town Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate built?
- The earlier gate was destroyed by a typhoon in 1921, and the present gate was rebuilt in 1948. The date comes from an ink inscription on a beam.
- What type of gate is the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate?
- It is a yakuimon with a gabled, tiled roof. The eaves have closely spaced double rafters, and the side walls include a wicket door.
- What is carved on the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate?
- A finely detailed dragon is carved on the frog-leg strut at the front.
- Who built the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate?
- The master carpenter was Murase Shogo, a pupil of Kasahara Jishichi, who built the Bell Tower.
- Why is the Shinryuji Temple Main Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- As the temple's front set against Mount Dodogamine, it shapes the local landscape. It was registered on October 31, 2022, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Shinryuji Temple Main Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 2509-1 Nagara, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered October 31, 2022 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 2.8 meters |
| Owner | Shinryuji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable as the temple entrance (no notice on admission or photography) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Shinryuji Temple Main Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014387
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shinryuji Temple Main Gate (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/586606
- Gifu City: Shinryuji Main Hall and Three Other Registered Buildings (Japanese)
- https://www.city.gifu.lg.jp/kankoubunka/bunkazai/1005549/1021043/1021041/1023383.html
- Gifu City: Explanatory Leaflet on the Shinryuji Buildings (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.gifu.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/023/383/kaisetu_sinryuji.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.04
