Saikyoji Temple East Gate

A Late Meiji Service Gate to the Shikidai Entrance

Saikyoji Temple East Gate (西教寺東門, Saikyō-ji Higashimon) is a late Meiji gate (1898 to 1912) at the southern end of the east side of Saikyoji in Saiwai, Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014.

It is a single-bay yakuimon, 2.2 metres wide, built of timber with a gabled kirizuma roof of interlocking round and flat tiles. Tsuiji walls join it on either side, and the bell tower stands right next to it on the north.

The Saikyoji East Gate leads to the shikidai entrance beside the main hall, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the gate used for everyday comings and goings. Where the Great Gate welcomes worshippers to services, the East Gate served the daily life of the temple.

Flat Posts and Three Beams

The Saikyoji Temple East Gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

A yakuimon carries its roof on two main posts set toward the front and a pair of rear posts behind. Here the main posts are gohei timbers, flattened rectangles in section. Three beams run back from the main posts, and each purlin and beam rests on a large bearing block topped by a bracket arm.

The scheme is plain, but setting a bracket arm on the bearing block to carry the purlin follows temple-building practice, and it gives even a service gate a proper standing.

What to Look For

Step under the gate and look up. With little ornament to distract, the three beams reaching from the main posts to the rear posts, and the blocks and arms carrying the purlins, are easy to read.

Notice where it leads, too. Pass through the Saikyoji East Gate and the shikidai entrance faces you: a route for reception and daily business built into the precinct apart from the way to the main hall.

Visiting the Saikyoji Temple East Gate

The Saikyoji Temple East Gate is an outdoor gate on the east side of the precinct and can be seen from the street and from inside the grounds. It is in daily use, so take care not to block the way. Ask about photography before taking pictures. Directions are on the Saikyoji Temple (Izumi) page.