National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties · Nara

Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East)

Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate: An Edo Gate of the Tegaimon Type

Todaiji's eastern Tozai Gakumon Gate, built in 1722 in the Great Buddha Hall corridor, and how it compares with the Nara-period Tegaimon Gate of the same type.

Designation National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties

Location Nara

Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East): The 1722 Gate in the East Corridor

The Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East) (東大寺東西楽門（東）, also called the Higashi Gakumon) is a mid-Edo-period gate built in 1722 in the eastern corridor around the Great Buddha Hall at Todaiji in Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1900.

The Tozai Gakumon are a pair of gates, one in each of the corridors enclosing the hall. The western gate was finished in 1719 and the eastern one three years later; with both in place, the enclosure in front of the Great Buddha Hall was largely complete.

The Same Type as the Nara-Period Tegaimon Gate

The Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East) is three bays wide with one central opening, a Hakkyakumon or eight-legged gate, under a gabled roof of clay tiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs uses exactly the same description for one other gate at Todaiji: the Tegaimon Gate in the northwest of the grounds, which dates from the Nara period.

Nearly a thousand years separate the two. The Tegaimon is one of very few buildings left from the founding of Todaiji, with brackets and eaves altered in a Kamakura-period repair. The East Gakumon Gate was built new in the Edo period as part of a corridor, and its link to the corridor sets it apart from the free-standing Tegaimon. Seeing both on the same walk shows how one gate type changes with its era and setting.

Where to Find the East Gakumon Gate

The Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate opens partway along the corridor running east from the Middle Gate. The corridor roof stays low, but over the gate a gabled roof rises a step higher, so the gate is easy to spot from outside.

The ground east of the Great Buddha Hall is where paths begin to climb toward the Bell Tower and the Nigatsudō. You can see the outside of the gate from that side of the corridor on the way.

Designation of the East Gakumon Gate

The Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East) was designated in 1900, on the same day as the Middle Gate, corridors and western gate, under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law, and is now an Important Cultural Property. The Agency's database gives the east and west gates one designation number but records them as separate properties.

The hall, Middle Gate, corridors and Tozai Gakumon were built in turn over nearly thirty years of the Edo-period rebuilding begun by Kōkei; the eastern gate belongs to the later part of that work.

Seeing the Todaiji East Gakumon Gate

The outside of the Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East) is visible free from the grounds outside the corridor, and from inside while you visit the Great Buddha Hall. The temple's visitor information says nothing special about the interior of the gate or passage through it.

Hours, fees and directions for the Great Buddha Hall are on the Todaiji Temple page.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East); [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]

Q&A

QWhen was the Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate built?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1722, three years after the western gate of 1719.

QWhere is the Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate?: AIt opens in the eastern corridor around the Great Buddha Hall, partway along the corridor running east from the Middle Gate.

QWhat does the Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate share with the Tegaimon Gate?: ABoth are described as three-bay, single-opening, eight-legged gates with gabled tile roofs. The Tegaimon is from the Nara period; the East Gakumon Gate is Edo-period.

QWhen was the Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate designated?: AIn 1900, on the same day as the Middle Gate, corridors and western gate.

QCan visitors see the Todaiji East Tozai Gakumon Gate?: AYes. Its outside is visible free from the grounds, and from inside the corridor during a visit to the Great Buddha Hall.

Basic Information

Name	Todaiji Temple Tozai Gakumon Gate (East)
Location	Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture
Designation	Important Cultural Property
Year Designated	1900
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Three-bay, single-opening eight-legged gate, gabled roof, clay tiles
Owner	Todaiji Temple
Public Access	Exterior visible free from the grounds