Oura Shrine Torii

What Is the Oura Shrine Torii?

The Oura Shrine Torii (大浦神社鳥居, Ōura Jinja Torii) is a granite myōjin-style gateway at the entrance to the approach of Oura Shrine in Yorishima-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, erected in 1927 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2019.

It stands where the straight approach, running east from the precinct, meets the street, so it is the first gateway every visitor passes through. According to the prefectural shrine association, this "great torii" was put up on the approach as part of the building works of 1925 to 1927. An earlier torii is recorded as having been raised in 1693, when the shrine was rebuilt.

Asakuchi City notes that the stone is granite from Kitagishima, an island in the Kasaoka group off the Okayama coast.

Why the Oura Shrine Torii Was Registered

The Oura Shrine Torii is entry 33-329 in the national register, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a stone structure with a span of 4.5 meters.

In the agency's description, the Oura Shrine Torii has 4.5 meters between its pillars and stands 6.5 meters high. Its two round pillars, 0.6 meters across at the base, lean inward so that at the top they are set in by one pillar's width; a tie beam (nuki) locks them together, and a curved double lintel (shimaki and kasagi) rests on top. The agency praises its balanced proportions, which anchor the view along the approach and have made it a familiar sight to worshippers.

The form is the Myōjin torii, recognized by its upswept top lintel, the second beam beneath it and a tie beam that projects beyond the pillars. Leaning the pillars inward is a traditional way of giving a torii a steadier, more grounded look.

What to Look For at the Oura Shrine Torii

A prime minister's calligraphy

The name plaque hung between the lintel and the tie beam reads "Ōura Jinja" in the hand of Inukai Tsuyoshi, the Okayama-born politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan. The shrine explains that the stone name pillar standing in front of the torii was carved with the same characters, enlarged from the plaque. Compare the two and you can see the same brushwork at two different scales.

The inward lean

Step back from the Oura Shrine Torii and look at the pillars: they draw slightly together as they rise. The agency puts the lean at one pillar's width at the top. It reads best from the middle of the approach, looking up, rather than from the side.

The start of the axis

Pass under the torii and look down the approach: the worship hall, offering hall, prayer hall and, on its high platform, the main hall all line up on one axis. The Oura Shrine Torii marks the east end of that east-west line, and the view from here is the basic composition of the approach landscape the agency describes.

Visiting the Oura Shrine Torii

Because the Oura Shrine Torii stands at the street end of the approach, you can see it at any time from outside. Okayama Prefecture lists public access as "exterior only." The torii is also a working entrance, so watch for worshippers and passing cars when you take photographs.

The approach runs east from the precinct, so the torii and its plaque face east. You will be looking up at the plaque, and the characters are easiest to read in the morning, when the sun comes from the east. On the day of the autumn festival the approach is used for the shrine's rites and is crowded. Directions and visiting details are on the Oura Shrine page.