Kenkun Shrine Grand Torii

A 1934 Myojin Torii at the Foot of Mount Funaoka

Kenkun Shrine Grand Torii (建勲神社大鳥居, Takeisao Jinja Otorii) is a timber myojin-style gateway facing east onto Funaoka-higashi-dori at the eastern foot of Mount Funaoka in Kita-ku, Kyoto City; it was built in 1934 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 18, 2008. It stands 7.2 m high and 5.5 m wide and marks the east entrance to Kenkun Shrine.

Of the eleven registered structures at the shrine, the Grand Torii is the youngest. The main hall and worship hall are buildings of 1880 that were moved up the hill in 1910; this gateway was added to the foot of the hill 24 years after that move.

Officially it is classed not as a building but as an "other structure", and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its size and the strong curve of its top beam, which together make it a solemn boundary for the sacred ground.

Unpainted Cypress from Taiwan

The timber is hinoki cypress from Mount Alishan in Taiwan. In 1934 Taiwan was under Japanese rule, and large Alishan cypress was used for shrines and temples in Japan proper. The Kenkun Shrine Grand Torii uses it unpainted, as bare wood.

The structure follows the standard myojin pattern. Two round pillars stand on stone footings, tied near the top by a tie beam called the nuki. On the pillar heads rests a second beam, the shimaki, and above that the capping beam, or kasagi. In a myojin torii the kasagi sweeps upward at both ends, and here the curve is pronounced: a 5.5 m beam bowed up against the sky.

Bare wood changes colour with age in a way a painted gateway does not. Ninety years on, its weathered tone sets it apart in a city with many vermilion-lacquered gateways.

Where the Approach Begins

Pass through the Kenkun Shrine Grand Torii and a stone stairway climbs Mount Funaoka. The shrine buildings are on the summit; the torii stands at the bottom, marking off the whole hill as sacred ground. A separate north approach enters from the other side.

The space around the gateway is also used for rites. On June 30 the summer purification ceremony, with its large ring of woven grass, is held in front of the torii, and on November 23 the Ohitaki fire festival burns prayer sticks just inside it.

Directly inside the torii is a parking area for bicycles and motorbikes.

Visiting the Kenkun Shrine Grand Torii

The Kenkun Shrine Grand Torii faces a public street and can be seen at any time from either side. To take in the curve of the capping beam, step back and look up from the street to the east; to feel the girth of the pillars and the grain of the bare cypress, stand at their base.

The shrine does not forbid personal photography, but drones and commercial shoots need permission. The gateway fronts a road, so keep out of the way of traffic when taking pictures. On the days of the June and November rites, the area around it is in ceremonial use. Directions to the shrine and general visiting conditions are covered on the Kenkun Shrine page.