What Is Jokyoji Temple Main Gate?
Jokyoji Temple Main Gate (常敬寺山門, Jōkyō-ji Sanmon) is the Yakuimon-style gate that faces east onto Ura-Teramachi Street at Jokyoji Temple in Teramachi 2-chome, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture; built in the late Edo period (between 1751 and 1830), it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 6, 2025, under registration number 15-0608.
It has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki) and an opening 3.3 meters wide, and it was repaired in the 1950s or 1960s. Its timbers are painted with red iron oxide, Bengara, so locals call it the Akamon, or "red gate," and the whole temple goes by the affectionate name Akamon-san.
How Jokyoji Temple Main Gate Is Built
A yakuimon stands on two main posts at the front and two rear support posts, or Hikaebashira, behind them. At Jokyoji Temple Main Gate the main posts are gohei timbers, rectangular rather than square in section. A crossbeam, the Kabuki, spans their tops and carries the beams that hold up the roof, and two tiers of tie beams (Nuki) lock the main posts to the rear posts.
There are no bracket sets (Kumimono) on the posts, and the eaves use a single layer of close-set rafters. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the gate plain and solidly built. With so little ornament elsewhere, the gable ends are where the eye goes.
Red Timbers and a Bold Gable Carving
In each gable of Jokyoji Temple Main Gate sits an oversized frog-leg strut, a Kaerumata, carved far larger than anything else on this restrained gate. The south gable also carries a hanging board, a Gegyo, and the Agency's database chose this south gable board for one of its two photographs.
The red of the timbers reads best from across the street. According to temple tradition, when Jokyo-ji was still in Shimōsa it became a temple for imperial prayers under Emperor Go-Uda and was granted the right to a red gate. The present gate dates from the late Edo period, but its nickname has been handed down together with that story.
The Agency registered Jokyoji Temple Main Gate for "contributing to the historic landscape of the country." On Ura-Teramachi Street, lined with temple after temple, the red gate is part of what gives the street its character.
Visiting Jokyoji Temple Main Gate
Because Jokyoji Temple Main Gate opens directly onto Ura-Teramachi Street, you can see it from the street at any time, free of charge. Look up as you pass beneath it to see the crossbeam and roof beams and the two tiers of ties between the front and rear posts. To see the hanging board in the south gable, step a little around to the south side of the gate.
Snow piles up in winter and makes the street around the gate harder going. Directions and visiting conditions for the grounds are on the Jokyoji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was Jokyoji Temple Main Gate built?
- It dates from the late Edo period (between 1751 and 1830) and was repaired in the 1950s or 1960s.
- Why is Jokyoji Temple Main Gate called the "red gate"?
- Its posts and beams are painted with red iron oxide. Temple tradition says the right to a red gate was granted when the temple became a place of imperial prayers.
- What type of gate is Jokyoji Temple Main Gate?
- A yakuimon, supported by two main posts and two rear posts, with a gabled pantile roof and no bracket sets.
- What details should I look for on Jokyoji Temple Main Gate?
- The large frog-leg strut in the gable and the hanging board on the south gable.
- Can I see Jokyoji Temple Main Gate at any time?
- Yes. It faces the street, so the exterior can be seen at any time, free of charge.
Basic Information
| Name | Jokyoji Temple Main Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 117-1 Teramachi 2-chome, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 6, 2025 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Opening 3.3 m wide |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Jokyoji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable freely from the street |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Jokyoji Temple Main Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015431
- Summary of properties to be registered (Niigata Prefecture, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/438007.pdf
- Official notice of registration, August 2025 (Niigata Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/site/bunka/tourokutoushin250821.html
- Temple History (Jokyoji Temple official site, Japanese)
- https://saikoinjyokyoji.wixsite.com/temple/blank
- Takada Castle Town Guide: Teramachi (Joetsu City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/uploaded/attachment/265080.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.29
