Sanboin Karamon Gate

A Bold Momoyama Gate for Imperial Messengers

The Sanboin Karamon Gate (三宝院唐門) is the Momoyama-period Karamon gate of Sanboin at Daigoji in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1954 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a three-bay flat Karamon gate with a cypress-bark roof.

According to the Agency, it was built in 1599 as a gate in a wall a little north of its present site, and reached its present position after two moves, in 1615 and around 1772 to 1781.

Structure and Design

According to the Agency, crossbeams rest on chamfered square main posts, carrying the eave beams, and a frog-leg strut or post supports the ridge at the centre; slender back posts stand front and rear, under a cusped-gable cypress-bark roof.

The structure is simple, but large paulownia crests are carved on both faces of the doors, with chrysanthemums of the same size in the side bays. The partial dismantling repair of 2010 restored the lacquer and gold leaf, and showed that timbers from another gate had been reused.

What to Look For

The Agency calls its bold design an excellent expression of the Momoyama spirit and one of the masterpieces among surviving flat Karamon gates.

Daigoji explains that, as the gate of an imperial-connected temple, it opened only to receive messengers from the court; originally it was lacquered black all over, with its four great crests in gold leaf.

Visiting the Sanboin Karamon Gate

Daigoji is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in summer and 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter.

Sanboin's history and visiting information are on the group page.