Wings on Either Side of the Gate
The Shinmon Yokuro extends east and west from both sides of the main gate, the Otenmon, and joins north-south wings that run four bays long and two bays deep. Built in 1940, it is the first structure many visitors take in, because it frames the gateway through which they enter.
Next to the gate a doorway opens, and one bay beyond it the outer sections become tatami-floored rooms. The woodwork, including the gable boards, is finished in vermilion, and the roof is laid in hongawara tile. Together the wings compose the front-facing view of the precinct.
The Front of the Precinct
The Otenmon itself, an Important Cultural Property from 1895, reproduces the main gate of the ancient Heian palace at about five-eighths scale. The wings that flank it were added in 1940 to complete the front elevation, tying the gate into the corridors that run around the south court.
The Shinmon Yokuro was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on 3 September 2002. It is one of the elements that give the shrine's face its symmetry and depth, and it belongs to the coordinated 1940 campaign built under Home Ministry shrine engineers.
What to Look For
Pause at the Otenmon before you pass through and look to either side. The wings pull the eye outward along the vermilion frame and the run of tile, so the gate reads not as a single tower but as the center of a broad, balanced front.
The vermilion of the woodwork against the grey tile is at its best in raking morning light, when the gable boards throw crisp shadows. This is the composed public face the shrine wants a visitor to meet first.
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Q&A
- What is the Shinmon Yokuro?
- The pair of wings extending east and west from the sides of the main gate, the Otenmon, with tatami rooms in their outer sections.
- Is it the same as the Otenmon?
- No. The Otenmon is the 1895 gate and an Important Cultural Property; the flanking wings were added in 1940 and are Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
- What does it do for the shrine?
- It completes the front elevation, linking the gate to the corridors and giving the entrance its symmetry and depth.
- Can I see it during a visit?
- Yes. You pass right beside it when entering through the Otenmon, so it is among the easiest of this group to view.
Basic Information
| Name | Heian Jingu Shinmon Yokuro (gate wings) |
|---|---|
| Location | 97 Okazaki Nishitenno-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Registered | 21 August 2002 (gazetted 3 September 2002) |
| Registration no. | 26-0125 |
| Count | 1 building |
| Structure | Single-story timber, tile roof, floor area 300 m2 |
| Date | 1940 |
| Owner | Heian Jingu (religious corporation) |
| Access | Freely visible; you pass beside it when entering through the Otenmon |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002935
- 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