The Gate on the South Front
The Romon stands at the middle of the south front of Imamiya Shrine, the point where the approach meets the precinct. It is the youngest of the shrine's registered buildings, completed in 1926, at the very end of the Taishō era.
The form is a three-bay, single-entrance two-story gate, sanken-ikko-rōmon, with a hip-and-gable roof of copper sheet. It is the tallest structure on the grounds and the piece most visitors photograph first.
Brackets Worth Looking Up At
The interest of the gate lies in its bracketing. On the lower story the waist brackets are built out in three steps, the mitesaki, and elaborate frog-leg struts, kaerumata, are set with their legs drawn out. The upper story is framed with three-stepped brackets fitted with tail rafters, odaruki, and bracket struts called kentozuka.
The carpenters tapered the column spacing and adjusted the floor heights between the two stories, which is why the gate reads as stable and settled rather than top-heavy. In its detailing it carries the marks of modern shrine and temple architecture, showing how early twentieth-century builders handled a traditional gate type with confidence.
Registration and Setting
The gate was registered in March 2018 under the criterion of serving as a model of design. It is flanked by two roofed corridors, the west and east kairō, also built in 1926, and the three were conceived together as the ceremonial entrance to the shrine.
Passing beneath it, a visitor moves from the ordinary street into the sanctuary precinct, with the Heiden and Honden ahead to the north.
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Q&A
- What is a Romon?
- A rōmon is a two-story gate. This one is a three-bay, single-entrance type with a hip-and-gable copper roof, marking the main south entrance to the shrine.
- When was it built?
- In 1926, at the end of the Taishō era. It is the most recent of the shrine's eleven registered buildings.
- What should I look at?
- Look up into the brackets: three-stepped complexes on both stories, elaborate frog-leg struts on the lower level and tail rafters above.
- What stands beside the gate?
- Two roofed corridors, the west and east kairō, built at the same time in 1926 and registered alongside the gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Imamiya Shrine Romon (Two-Story Gate) |
|---|---|
| Location | 21 Imamiya-cho, Murasakino, Kita-ku, Kyoto |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registered 27 March 2018 |
| Registration No. | 26-553 |
| Date | Taisho 15 (1926) |
| Count / Structure | 1 building; timber, two-story, copper-plate roof, floor area approx. 47 m2 |
| Owner | Imamiya Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Access | Kyoto City Bus to 'Imamiya-jinja-mae'; or 'Funaokayama' stop, approx. 7 min on foot |
| Public access | Precinct open and free; the gate is the main south entrance |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース — 今宮神社楼門
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012205
- 紫野 今宮神社 公式サイト — 境内
- http://www.imamiyajinja.org/guide/
- 京都十六社朱印めぐり — 今宮神社
- https://kyoto-16sha.jp/imamiyajinja/
Last verified: 2026.07.02