A Gate with Monkeys Under the Eaves
The Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate, in Sakamoto-honmachi, Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, is a Momoyama-period gatehouse designated an Important Cultural Property in 1917. It is a rōmon of three bays with a single central doorway, roofed hip-and-gable in cypress bark. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records its construction in 1586; Ōtsu city dates it to about that year.
A rōmon is a two-storey gate whose roof covers only the upper level, with a balcony running around the top of the lower one. The other gate in the precinct, serving the eastern sanctuary, uses the same form, and the Ōtsu city description states plainly that this western one is the larger. Set them side by side in memory and the difference shows in column thickness and the reach of the eaves.
The shrine buildings on this side of the grounds went up in 1586, after the burning of Mount Hiei in 1571 destroyed what stood before. The Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate belongs to that same campaign, which is why the gate and the halls behind it read as a single stylistic set.
The Munamochi-zaru at the Four Corners
Look up first. Hiyoshi Taisha's own account explains that a carved monkey sits at each of the four corners under the eaves, each in a different posture, holding the structure up in the manner of a bracket. These are the munamochi-zaru, the ridge-bearing monkeys. Walk the four corners in turn and the angle of an arm or the turn of a head changes each time.
There is a second group. On the front of the upper storey, inside the frog-leg strut, three more monkeys are carved playing among pine branches. Where the corner figures are given a structural job, these are ornament and nothing else. The same gate treats the same animal in two entirely different registers, one above the other.
Why monkeys at all? Hiyoshi Taisha has long been associated with them, and the shrine describes the monkey as a symbol that wards off misfortune: the reading masaru echoes phrases meaning both that evil departs and that one prevails. Records from the Muromachi period show monkeys kept in the precinct, and Edo-period drawings label enclosures for them. The carvings on the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate are that belief worked into the joinery.
Approaching and Passing Through
This is the first large structure a visitor meets on the approach. Seen from the foot of the steps, the cypress-bark eaves stack in layers and the upper balcony draws a hard horizontal across the elevation. That balcony is what makes a rōmon read as two distinct tiers rather than one tall mass.
Through the opening lie the worship hall and main sanctuary of the western compound. The gate marks the point where the grounds stop being an approach and become a sanctuary. Turn round under the doorway and the path falls away in a straight line toward the town of Sakamoto below.
The ground in front of the gate also serves as a meeting point. A priest will give a short orientation to the precinct here, ten to fifteen minutes, by prior arrangement. For a fuller guided visit, the shrine directs enquiries to the volunteer guides organised through the Sakamoto tourism association.
Visiting
Anyone who passes the entrance desk can see the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate, since the path runs straight under it. Admission is a contribution of 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for junior and senior high school students, free for children of primary age and below, and 450 yen each for groups of thirty or more. Walk-in visitors pay at the west desk beyond the red torii; drivers pay at the east desk.
General hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the western compound opening earlier, at 6:00 a.m. from April to September and 7:00 a.m. from October to March. The upper storey is not open. Photography is unrestricted, and a lens with some reach helps if you want the corner carvings in detail.
Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi Station on the Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line is about ten minutes away on foot, and Hieizan-Sakamoto Station on the JR Kosei Line about twenty. Around fifty free car spaces are available, charged during November. Coaches cannot enter; passengers alight at the red torii and vehicles continue to the Ōmiyagawa visitor car park. A full circuit of the grounds takes roughly forty minutes.
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Q&A
- When was the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate built and designated?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 1586 as the construction date, the same rebuilding campaign that produced the main and worship halls behind it. It was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1917.
- Where are the monkey carvings on the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate?
- One sits at each of the four corners under the eaves, every one in a different posture. Three more are carved playing in pine branches inside the frog-leg strut on the front of the upper storey. All are visible from the ground.
- Is the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate larger than the one at the East Shrine?
- Yes. Ōtsu city's description states that the western gate is the larger of the two. Both are three-bay gates with a single doorway, hip-and-gable roofs and cypress bark covering, so the difference lies in scale and detailing.
- Can you go up inside the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate, and may you take photographs?
- The upper storey is closed, but you walk through the ground-level opening on the way in. Photography in the precinct is not restricted, including of the carvings under the eaves.
- How do you get to the Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate and what is the fee?
- About ten minutes on foot from Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi Station on the Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line, or twenty from Hieizan-Sakamoto Station on the JR Kosei Line. Admission is 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for junior and senior high school students. A ten- to fifteen-minute orientation by a priest can be arranged in front of the gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Hiyoshi Taisha West Shrine Tower Gate (日吉大社西本宮楼門) |
|---|---|
| Location | Sakamoto-honmachi, Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture (Hiyoshi Taisha precinct) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1917 Important Cultural Property |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3-bay tower gate with 1 doorway |
| Owner | Hiyoshi Taisha |
| Public Access | Viewable year-round (admission 500 yen for adults). The doorway is the main approach route; the upper storey is closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Hiyoshi Taisha Nishi Hongu Romon
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1358
- Ōtsu City: Hiyoshi Taisha Nishi Hongu Romon
- https://www.city.otsu.lg.jp/bz/a/03/15/60719.html
- Hiyoshi Taisha: About the Sacred Monkey
- https://hiyoshitaisha.jp/masaru/
- Hiyoshi Taisha: Frequently Asked Questions
- https://hiyoshitaisha.jp/faq/
- Hiyoshi Taisha: Access
- https://hiyoshitaisha.jp/access/
Last verified: 2026.09.08