A Kamakura Two-Storey Gate, National Treasure since 1954
Komyo-Ji Temple Niomon Gate (光明寺二王門, Komyoji Niomon) stands at Komyoji, Mutsuyori-cho, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture, designated a National Treasure on 20 March 1954. It had become an Important Cultural Property on 18 February 1904. The quantity is one building and the owner is Komyoji.
Kyoto Prefecture records Kimino-san Komyoji as an old temple of the Daigo branch of the Shingon school, said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku in 599. It once held many halls, all of which burned in war more than once.
The gate came through those fires. Kyoto Prefecture calls it a two-storey gate, unusual for the Kamakura period, roofed in thick split boards, and the only National Treasure building in the northern part of the prefecture.
The Repair Led to the Designation
How this gate came to be designated has to do with a repair.
According to the multilingual commentary published by the Japan Tourism Agency, an inscription found during repairs in 1950 showed that the gate had been built between 1242 and 1253.
A date of the Kamakura period stood in ink on a column of the upper storey, and it came to light in the course of dismantling the gate for repair.
The inscription surfaced in 1950; the designation followed in 1954. Fixing the date of building through the repair is what led to it.
The date is given in two ways. The tourism commentary sets it between 1242 and 1253, while another Kyoto Prefecture page says the gate is held to have been raised in 1248. A range and a single year stand side by side.
Two Storeys Were Unusual Then
A two-storey gate carries a roof at each of its two levels. The lower roof runs round at waist height, so from outside two tiers of roof read one above the other.
Kyoto Prefecture calls this unusual for the Kamakura period. The tourism commentary adds that two-storey temple gates were uncommon at the time and point to the standing of the temple.
The form is three bays with a single opening, and visitors pass through the middle bay. Of the three bays, only the central one can be walked through.
That a gate of this form survives at a temple in the mountains is what fixes its standing. Many halls were lost to fire; the gate remained.
Four Thousand Five Hundred Chestnut Boards
The roofing is distinctive as well. Kyoto Prefecture records thick split boarding, and the tourism commentary gives 4,500 thick chestnut boards.
This kind of roofing lays split boards in overlapping courses, using the thicker grades rather than thin shingles. It is neither tile nor cypress bark.
The wood is chestnut, which resists water and rot and so serves for roofs and sills.
Repairs ran for three years from 2015. Kyoto Prefecture records that in November 2018 the gate regained the appearance it had some 750 years ago, its vermilion returned to the color of its building.
Guardian figures stand to either side within the gate. They are treated separately from the building. The tourism commentary records that their carver and date are unknown, but that they resemble the Kamakura-period guardian figures at Sekiganji in Hyogo Prefecture.
Visiting
Kyoto Prefecture records the precinct as freely open. The gate stands out of doors and can be seen from outside.
It is at Mutsuyori-cho, Ayabe City. Being in the mountains of Kimino-san, it is not easy to reach: Kyoto Prefecture directs visitors from Ayabe Station on the JR line by local bus to the Ayabe Onsen stop, then forty minutes on foot.
In the mountains, the weather and the state of the footing are worth checking before setting out. Snow can make the approach difficult.
Conditions of access can change, so check with Komyoji or Ayabe City before travelling.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kyoto
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Komyo-Ji Temple Niomon Gate
- [ Kinkakuji Fushimi Inari & Kimono Rental ]
Q&A
- When was the gate designated?
- On 20 March 1954, having become an Important Cultural Property on 18 February 1904. It counts as one building and belongs to Komyoji at Mutsuyori-cho, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture.
- How was the date of building established?
- The multilingual commentary from the Japan Tourism Agency records that an inscription found during repairs in 1950 showed the gate to have been built between 1242 and 1253. A date stood in ink on a column of the upper storey, and the designation followed four years later. Another Kyoto Prefecture page gives 1248.
- What is a two-storey gate?
- A gate carrying a roof at each of its two levels, the lower one running round at waist height so that two tiers read one above the other. Kyoto Prefecture calls this unusual for the Kamakura period, and the tourism commentary says such gates point to the standing of the temple.
- How is the roof laid?
- Kyoto Prefecture records thick split boarding, and the tourism commentary gives 4,500 thick chestnut boards. The boards are laid in overlapping courses in the thicker grades, neither tile nor cypress bark. Chestnut resists water and rot.
- Can it be visited?
- Kyoto Prefecture records the precinct as freely open, and the gate stands out of doors. It lies in the mountains of Kimino-san and is not easy to reach: by local bus from Ayabe Station to the Ayabe Onsen stop, then forty minutes on foot.
Basic Information
| Name | Komyo-Ji Temple Niomon Gate (光明寺二王門, Komyoji Niomon) |
|---|---|
| Location | Mutsuyori-cho, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture (Kimino-san Komyoji) |
| Designation | National Treasure (structure); the only National Treasure building in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture |
| Year Designated | 1904 (18 February), Important Cultural Property; 1954 (20 March), National Treasure |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | A two-storey gate of 3 bays with 1 opening, entered through the middle bay. Hip-and-gable roof laid in thick split boards, given by the tourism commentary as 4500 thick chestnut boards. An inscription found during repairs in 1950 showed it to have been built between 1242 and 1253. Kamakura period |
| Owner | Komyoji |
| Public Access | Kyoto Prefecture records the precinct as freely open. The gate stands out of doors |
References
- Kyoto Prefecture: Komyoji Niomon
- https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/fukei/site/policemap/ayabe/index.html
- Kyoto Prefecture: the gate and the green maples
- https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/co-kyoto/goout/210707.html
- Ayabe tourism association: Komyoji
- https://www.ayabe-kankou.net/spot/komyoji/
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.05