Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Kagawa

Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate

The 1889 Nio Gate at Zentsuji Tanjoin, Topped With Castle Ornaments

The main entrance gate of 1889 at Zentsuji Tanjoin in Kagawa, 3.2 metres wide, with ridge ornaments, guardian figures and great straw sandals. Registered in 2010.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Kagawa

A Gate Crowned With Roof Ornaments

Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate is a timber gate with a tiled roof in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1889 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010. It was repaired in 1975.

Standing east of the Mieido Hall, it is an eight-legged gate three bays wide with a single opening, 3.2 metres across. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri hipped and gabled, laid in Hongawarabuki tiles, with shachi ornaments at both ends of the ridge. Those mythical fish are common on castle keeps and turrets and comparatively rare on temple gates.

The brackets are simple blocks and arms, the eaves carry two tiers of closely spaced rafters, and the ceiling is a flat boarded panel. The floor is paved in stone. The flanking bays sit on stone bases, fronted by guard rails behind which stand the two Nio guardian figures, while a pair of oversized straw sandals hangs on the rear face. Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate is the everyday entrance to the precinct and the first structure most visitors pass through.

Judged Powerful in Appearance

Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0350.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs description praises its scale and its powerful appearance. An eight-legged gate braces two main posts with four subsidiary posts on each side, which puts it among the larger gate types. The doubled, closely spaced rafters throw a dense band of shadow beneath the eaves and make the structure look equal to the weight of tile above it.

The date of 1889 makes this one of the older entries in the group, alongside the moat revetment of the same year. Most of the halls were rebuilt in the 1930s, but the eastern entrance and the boundary outside it were already fixed in the Meiji period.

What to Look For

On the outer face, the guardian figures stand behind rails in the flanking bays, raised on stone bases so that the viewing angle is steep. The light usually comes from behind them, so the time of day makes a real difference to how much of the carving can be read.

Turn around once you are through. The inner face carries the great straw sandals, an offering made at Nio gates across Japan in the hope of strong legs for the road ahead. The ridge ornaments also read better from the precinct side, silhouetted against open sky. Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate shows one thing on the way in and another on the way out.

Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate

The gate stands on the eastern side of the grounds, just beyond the Hatsukabashi Bridge. Everyone entering Tanjoin walks through it, so both faces can be seen without passing any reception desk.

No charge applies to the gate itself; the temple sells tickets only for the underground passage and the treasure house, both handled inside the Mieido Hall. Nothing is posted about photography, though the guardian figures sit behind rails, so shots are taken from outside them. Ask at that desk if you want to be sure.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate; [ Naoshima Art Island & Kotohiragu Shrine Visit ]

Q&A

QWhen was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate built?: AIn 1889, with repair work carried out in 1975.

QCan visitors walk through Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate?: AYes. It is the everyday entrance to the precinct, reached across the Hatsukabashi Bridge.

QWhat are the ornaments on the ridge of Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate?: AShachi, mythical fish more often seen on castle roofs than on temple gates.

QWhat hangs on the rear of Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate?: AA pair of oversized straw sandals, offered in hope of strong legs for the journey.

QWhat type of gate is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate?: AAn eight-legged gate three bays wide with one opening, 3.2 metres across, under a hipped and gabled tiled roof, with a flat boarded ceiling and a stone floor.

Basic Information

Name	Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Nio Gate
Location	3-615 Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property
Year Designated	Registered in 2010
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Timber construction, tiled roof, opening 3.2 metres wide
Owner	Zentsuji Religious Corporation
Public Access	Open for passage at any time, no admission charge