A Gate and a Single Corridor
The East Gate and East Outer Corridor were built in 1940. The corridor bends in an L to link the south walkway with the gate wings by the Otenmon, and it closes off the east side of the south inner court. Midway along it stands the East Gate, also known as the Senseimon.
The gate is a gabled kirizuma structure roofed in hongawara tile, with double eaves and closely set rafters in the futanoki hanshigedaruki arrangement. The corridor is of the single-aisle tanro type, also tiled, running to a total length of about 50 meters. The pairing of vermilion frame with green renji lattice is one of the details that gives the precinct its character.
Color and Enclosure
The East Gate and Corridor form a symmetrical pair with the west side, and together the two enclose the south inner court. The value of the eastern run lies in how its color scheme, deep red timber and green latticework, sets the visual key for the whole ceremonial ground.
It was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 3 September 2002. As part of the 1940 campaign under Home Ministry shrine engineers, it completed the frame around the older core, extending the palace idiom of the 1895 buildings out to the edges of the court.
What to Look For
The green renji lattice against the red frame is the detail worth pausing on. Most people register the shrine as overwhelmingly red, but the corridors carry green in their windows, and the two colors together are what the eye actually reads across the court.
Find the Senseimon partway along the corridor and note the closely spaced rafters under its gable. From the court, the roughly 50-meter run of the corridor gives a clear sense of the scale the 1940 builders were working at.
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Q&A
- What is the East Gate also called?
- The Senseimon. It stands midway along the East Outer Corridor, on the east side of the south inner court.
- How long is the corridor?
- About 50 meters. It is of the single-aisle tanro type, roofed in tile.
- What gives it its color?
- The pairing of vermilion timber with green renji lattice windows, a combination that characterizes the precinct.
- Can I see it during a visit?
- Yes. It frames the east side of the south court within the free grounds and is easy to view.
Basic Information
| Name | Heian Jingu East Gate and East Outer Corridor |
|---|---|
| Location | 97 Okazaki Nishitenno-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Registered | 21 August 2002 (gazetted 3 September 2002) |
| Registration no. | 26-0123 |
| Count | 1 building |
| Structure | Single-story timber, tile roof, floor area 296 m2; single-aisle corridor about 50 m |
| Date | 1940 |
| Owner | Heian Jingu (religious corporation) |
| Access | Frames the east side of the south court within the free grounds |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002933
- 平安神宮 社殿・境内案内（公式）
- https://www.heianjingu.or.jp/map/guide/
- 平安神宮 公式サイト
- https://www.heianjingu.or.jp/
Last verified: 2026.07.02