Saikyoji Temple Gateposts and Iron Fence

Granite Gateposts and an Iron Gate Before the Great Gate

Saikyoji Temple Gateposts and Iron Fence (西教寺門柱及び鉄柵, Saikyō-ji Monchū oyobi Tessaku) is a pair of stone gateposts with an iron gate and fence, made in 1898, standing in front of the Great Gate of Saikyoji in Saiwai, Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014.

The two stone posts stand 2.4 metres apart with iron gates hung between them. Iron fencing runs from each post to a stone pillar at either end, 6.3 metres in total. The ensemble was repaired in the mid-Showa period (1946 to 1965) and is counted as a single structure.

Directly behind it is the Great Gate and Tsuiji Wall, also registered. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says that the gateposts and fence, together with the Great Gate, mark the boundary between the sacred precinct and the outside world.

Pyramid Caps and an Arched Iron Gate

The Saikyoji Temple Gateposts and Iron Fence was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

The posts are granite, their tops cut to a four-sided point in the hogyo form, like the pyramidal roof of a small Buddhist hall rendered in stone.

Between them hang double iron gates with an arched top edge. The fence is made of vertical bars of two lengths, each tipped with an arrowhead finial and set alternately long and short, which gives the railing a rolling rhythm rather than a flat line.

What to Look For

The pleasure here is the pairing of modern stone and iron with the timber Great Gate behind. An arched iron gate from the later Meiji years layered in front of a traditional yakuimon gives the Saikyoji frontage real depth.

Up close, look at the tips of the fence bars; the alternating arrowheads show best from the street side. The pyramid caps of the posts are sharpest when sunlight strikes them at an angle and picks out each of their four faces.

Visiting the Saikyoji Temple Gateposts and Iron Fence

The Saikyoji Temple Gateposts and Iron Fence is an outdoor structure at the entrance and can be seen from the street. The gates are the temple's working entrance, so leave them as you find them. Ask about photography before taking pictures. Directions are on the Saikyoji Temple (Izumi) page.