What the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate Is
The Anrakuji Temple Main Gate (安楽寺山門, Anrakuji Sanmon) is a mid Edo-period two-storey gate at Anrakuji in Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, built in 1756 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2009. It stands south of the main hall, and its vermilion coat has earned it the local name Akamon, the red gate.
The type is a nijumon: three bays across, with all three left open as passages, and two full roofs stacked one above the other. Both are Irimoya-zukuri in Hongawarabuki, and the footprint is 41 square meters. As two-storey gates go this is a modest one, yet seen from the narrow lane of the temple quarter the upper eaves sit higher than you expect.
Anrakuji itself traces its Jōdo Shinshū identity to 1259, when temple tradition says a Tendai foundation called Shinnyoji was converted. The nickname Akamondera, red gate temple, tells you how the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate has worked for centuries: as the sign by which the whole compound is recognised from outside.
Why the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs database lists the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate under register number 36-0077 and cites the criterion of setting a standard of design. What sits at the heart of that assessment is a contradiction built into the gate: the two storeys handle their bracketing in completely different ways.
The upper storey uses orthodox Zenshūyō bracketing, a packed Mitesaki arrangement stepping out three times to carry deep eaves. The lower storey abandons the bearing blocks altogether and instead locks together bracket arms and straight members in an unconventional Kumimono. Switching idiom halfway up a single gate is unusual anywhere in Japan. The Taruki follow suit: fan rafters in double tiers above, closely spaced parallel rafters below.
Above the doors, in the position normally given to a decorative strut, sits a demon mask. The Agency for Cultural Affairs entry calls its expression eccentric. An orthodox Zen-style upper storey, a rule-breaking lower storey and a fierce mask coexist in one structure, and that combination is what the registration recognises.
What to Look For at the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate
Stand square in front and let your eye travel up and down. The upper brackets project horizontally in three steps and carry the eaves well clear of the wall. At the same height on the lower storey there are no bearing blocks to be found, and the timbers meet one another directly. The difference reads far better in person than in a photograph.
Then look above the doors. The mask faces outward, positioned over the heads of anyone passing through. Because all three bays are open, you can walk through whichever one you like, and the angle you take changes how the mask comes across.
The colour has a history of its own. According to the Mima City tourism site, repair work on the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate began in 2009 and the freshly coloured red gate was revealed in March of the following year. Agency records also note a repair in 1936. A mid Edo-period frame has been carried forward by successive rounds of maintenance, which is part of why the gate is counted among the five great multi-storey gates of Tokushima Prefecture.
Visiting the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate
The Anrakuji Temple Main Gate stands at the entrance to the precincts and can be viewed freely from the street side or from within. No published notice sets opening hours or an admission fee. The upper storey is not normally open, so ask the temple in advance on 0883-63-2015 if you hope to see inside it.
No posted notice prohibiting photography of the gate could be confirmed. Shoot from a spot that keeps the approach clear, and on days with a service give way to those attending.
The journey takes about ten minutes by taxi from Sadamitsu Station on the JR Tokushima Line, or about five minutes by car from the Mima interchange on the Tokushima Expressway. The Mima City tourism site lists parking for the temple quarter at Teramachi Nanmatsu-no-oka, with space for 30 cars. Volunteer guides for the quarter work by prior arrangement on 090-4336-8882.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate, and is there an admission fee?
- The gate stands at the entrance to the precincts and can be seen at any time from outside. No published source sets opening hours or an admission charge. The upper storey is not normally open; contact the temple on 0883-63-2015 to ask about access.
- When was the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate built?
- In 1756. It was repaired in 1936 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2009. A further round of repainting, begun in 2009, was unveiled in March of the following year.
- Why is the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate called the red gate?
- Because it is coated in vermilion. The Mima City tourism site explains that the gate is so well known locally that the temple itself is called Akamondera, and counts it among the five great multi-storey gates of Tokushima Prefecture.
- What is architecturally unusual about the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate?
- The two storeys use different bracketing systems. Above is an orthodox Zen-style triple-stepped arrangement; below, the bearing blocks are omitted and bracket arms and straight members are combined instead. The demon mask set above the doors is another point to look for.
- How do you reach the Anrakuji Temple Main Gate, and is there parking?
- About ten minutes by taxi from Sadamitsu Station on the JR Tokushima Line, or about five minutes by car from the Mima interchange on the Tokushima Expressway. Parking for 30 cars is listed at Teramachi Nanmatsu-no-oka.
Basic Information
| Name | Anrakuji Temple Main Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 11 Miyanishi, Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structures) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Area 41 square meters |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Anrakuji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable; upper storey not open |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Anrakuji Sanmon
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007805
- Mima City Tourism Site: Teramachi, Anrakuji
- https://www.city.mima.lg.jp/kanko/map/list/11521.html
- Mima City Tourism Site: Anrakuji, Registered Tangible Cultural Property
- https://www.city.mima.lg.jp/kanko/map/list/4055.html
- Mima City Tourism Site: Teramachi Temple Quarter
- https://www.city.mima.lg.jp/kanko/map/list/11519.html
Last verified: 2026.09.09