Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate

About the Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate

The Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate (加知彌神社随神門, Kachimi Jinja Zuishinmon) stands at the entrance to the grounds of Kachimi Shrine in Terauchi, Shikano-cho, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture; it was built in 1830 and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 6, 2024 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a timber gate with a copper-plate roof (Dōban-buki) and a building area of 15 square metres; registration number 31-0289. It was renovated in the mid-Showa period, faces east and dates from the same year as the main hall.

A zuishinmon is a gate that houses zuishin, a pair of guardian figures who protect the sacred precinct. At Kachimi Shrine the gate divides the space where the figures sit from the space where worshippers pay their respects to them.

An Irregular Eight-Legged Gate with Its Ridge Moved East

The Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate measures 3 bays by 2 bays (Ketayuki and Harima) under a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) entered from the long side (Hirairi). Its plan follows the Hakkyakumon, or eight-legged gate, but the ridge line is moved east of centre; the Agency calls it an irregular form of that type.

The central bay has an earthen floor with no ceiling, leaving the rafters exposed (Keshō-yaneura). The side bays are split at the ridge line: the western part has a raised floor and a ceiling and houses the guardian figures, while the eastern part is open, with an earthen floor and only a ceiling, as the place to worship them (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Shifting the ridge east gives the extra depth to the western rooms that hold the figures.

Why It Was Registered

The gate was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency singles out its plan, which fits both the shrine for the guardian figures and a place of worship inside a single gate, as the distinctive feature of the Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate.

The main hall of 1830 and the worship hall of 1921 were registered on the same day. The gate is the first building you reach from the approach, and it lines up with the other two, all facing east.

What to Look For

Step into the open eastern part of a side bay and you face the guardian figures seated in the western room. Having a place to look up at them built into the gate itself is what sets the Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate apart.

In the central bay, look up at the exposed rafters. Walk round to the gable end and the off-centre ridge, set toward the east front, is easy to make out.

Visiting

The Kachimi Shrine Zuishinmon Gate stands at the entrance to the grounds, and you pass through its central bay to enter. The exterior and the open eastern parts can be seen when you visit, but no official information was found on access to the western rooms that house the figures (checked October 31, 2026). Directions and general visiting information are on the Kachimi Shrine page.