A Gate on Four Supporting Posts
Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate is a timber gate with a copper roof in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1936 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It stands south of the Nio Gate and northeast of the entrance halls, and takes the Shikyakumon form, in which two main posts are braced by two subsidiary posts front and back. That arrangement carries rank among Japanese gate types. The opening measures 3.0 metres.
The roof is gabled with curved bargeboards on the front and back and plain Kirizuma-zukuri gables at the sides, all sheathed in copper. The floor is beaten earth and a Gō-tenjō coffered ceiling covers the whole underside. The main posts are round, the subsidiary posts squared with chamfered arrises, so thickness and section announce which does what. Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate brings the joinery of a reception room into the frame of a gate.
Designed Not to Be Opened
Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0352.
The gate faces the moat, and the Imperial Envoy Bridge crosses directly in front of it. Gate and bridge form a pair meant for formal arrivals rather than daily traffic. The boundary wall runs north and south from the gate, ending at a guardhouse to the north. Gate, bridge, wall and guardhouse all date from 1936, which shows the whole east frontage was composed in one campaign.
The bracket sets are of the Mitsudo-gumi type, with Kaerumata frog-leg struts between them on the front and back faces. The Agency for Cultural Affairs description credits the gentle pitch of the roof with the graceful look of the building. Rather than piling ornament upwards, the design keeps everything low and horizontal.
What to Look For
From the far bank of the moat, the front elevation shows its curved gable clearly: the roofline lifts at the centre and drops away at the ends. Sheet copper gives a smooth surface, so the curve reads without interruption.
Walk round to the side and the building changes. Where the front is all curve, the flank is the straight line of a plain gable, the same roof presenting two different profiles. Look up as you pass beneath and the coffered ceiling above the earth floor comes into view. Fitting a coffered ceiling to an open-air passage is unusual, and it is the most surprising thing about Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate
The gate stands just inside the moat on the eastern side of the precinct, facing a public road. The whole front can be seen from the pavement, and from inside the grounds the rear is visible from in front of the entrance halls.
This is not a gate used for everyday access, so passing through it is generally not possible; visitors enter by the Nio Gate to the north. The temple charges only for the underground passage and the treasure house, so viewing the gate is free. Nothing is posted about photography, and shooting from the road presents no difficulty.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate
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Q&A
- What type of gate is Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate?
- A four-legged gate, with round main posts, chamfered square braces, curved gables front and back, plain gables at the sides and a copper roof.
- Can visitors pass through Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate?
- Not usually. It is kept closed, and entry to the precinct is by the Nio Gate to the north.
- How wide is Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate?
- The opening is 3.0 metres. The floor is beaten earth and the underside carries a coffered ceiling across its full width.
- What is worth seeing at Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate?
- The curved gables front and back, and the coffered ceiling overhead. The side elevations are straight-gabled, so the building looks different from each direction.
- When was Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate built?
- In 1936, together with the bridge in front of it, the boundary wall to either side and the guardhouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy 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, copper roof, opening 3.0 metres wide |
| Owner | Zentsuji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior visible at any time; no passage through |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008184
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Imperial Envoy Bridge
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008189
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Highlights of the Grounds
- https://zentsuji.com/keidai/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
