Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate
The Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate (雙栗神社石鳥居, Saguri Jinja Ishi-torii) is a granite gateway of 1702 standing at the western edge of Saguri Shrine in Kumiyama, Kuse District, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 April 2014.
It follows the myōjin pattern, the shape most people picture when they think of a shrine gate. The top lintel (kasagi) and the beam just below it (shimaki) sweep upward at their ends, and the tie beam (nuki) joining the two pillars runs out past them on either side. Here the pillars stand 5.5 metres apart and the gate rises 6.5 metres.
When the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate was raised, in the fifteenth year of the Genroku era, the shrine also enshrined a share of the Iwashimizu Hachimangū deity and went by the name Atemoto Hachimangū. It did not return to its present name until 1882, so this torii was built as the gateway to a Hachiman shrine.
Why the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate Is Registered
The Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that among the torii surviving at small and mid-sized shrines in the area it is an early example and one of the largest, a gate with enough presence to announce an ancient shrine.
Three other structures in the grounds were registered on the same day: the worship hall of 1785, and the main hall gate and the tamagaki fence, both dated to the late Edo period. That makes the torii the oldest of the four. Further in stands the Muromachi-period main hall, thought to date from around 1494.
Two granite pillars and a lintel, nothing more. With so plain a form, sheer size does the work.
What to Look For
Stand beneath the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate and the proportions register at once: 6.5 metres high against 5.5 metres between the pillars, slightly taller than it is wide. To confirm the myōjin form, check the upturned ends of the lintel and the stubs of the tie beam poking out beyond each pillar.
Then look at the stone. This is granite that has taken wind and rain for more than 320 years.
The position matters as well. The Agency describes the gate as the entrance to an ancient shrine, and at the western edge of the grounds it marks the line where a quiet residential district gives way to sacred ground.
Visiting the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate
The gate stands in the open at the western edge of the grounds and can be viewed freely. To take in the curve of the lintel, step back about 10 metres and face it head-on. No official guidance from the shrine on photography could be found, so take pictures with consideration for anyone who has come to pray.
Directions to the shrine and general visiting information are gathered on the Saguri Shrine page.
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Q&A
- How do you pronounce the name of the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate?
- The characters 雙栗 are read Saguri. In Japanese the gate is Saguri Jinja Ishi-torii, the reading given in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- When was the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate built?
- It dates from 1702 (Genroku 15). It was registered on 25 April 2014 together with the worship hall, the main hall gate and the tamagaki fence of the same shrine, and it is the oldest of the four.
- How big is the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate and what is it made of?
- It is a granite torii of the myōjin type, 6.5 metres high with 5.5 metres between the pillars. The Agency for Cultural Affairs ranks it among the largest torii at small and mid-sized shrines in the area.
- Where is the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate within the shrine grounds?
- It stands at the western edge of the grounds, the spot the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the entrance to an ancient shrine.
- Why is the Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it is an early example among torii at small and mid-sized shrines in the area and one of the largest.
Basic Information
| Name | Saguri Shrine Stone Torii Gate (雙栗神社石鳥居) |
|---|---|
| Location | 55 Sayama Saguri, Kumiyama-cho, Kuse District, Kyoto Prefecture (western edge of the shrine grounds) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/4/25 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 torii |
| Dimensions | 6.5 metres high, 5.5 metres wide between the pillars (granite, myōjin-style stone torii) |
| Owner | Saguri Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Outdoors and freely viewable (no admission fee to the grounds) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 雙栗神社石鳥居
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010000
- Cultural Heritage Online: 雙栗神社石鳥居
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/208237
- Kumiyama Town, Saguri Shrine (Japanese)
- https://www.town.kumiyama.lg.jp/0000000333.html
- Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation, Saguri Shrine (Japanese)
- https://www.kyoto-kankou.or.jp/info_search/382
- Association of Shinto Shrines, Saguri Shrine (Japanese)
- https://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/sys/11076
Last verified: 2026.09.25
