Kai Zenkoji Temple Sanmon Gate

About the Sanmon Gate

The Kai Zenkoji Temple Sanmon Gate (善光寺山門) is the two-storey gate at the front of Kai Zenkoji in Zenkoji, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture; its framework was raised in 1767, and it was designated an Important Cultural Property together with the main hall on June 22, 1955 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a five-bay, three-entrance two-storey gate with a hip-and-gable copper roof, owned by Zenkoji. The temple notes that a ridge tag is designated with it.

Loss and Rebuilding

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that Kai Zenkoji was founded in 1558 when the images and treasures of Shinano Zenkoji, burned in the Kawanakajima wars, were moved here. The gate burned with the main hall in a fire from the town in 1754, and the present gate's frame was raised with a dedication ceremony in 1767 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kai Zenkoji).

Kofu City notes that the ridge tag shows the gate was rebuilt before the main hall. According to the temple, Typhoon No. 7 brought it down on August 14, 1959; repairs began the next year and were finished in March 1962, together with those of the main hall.

Value as an Important Cultural Property

The Kai Zenkoji Temple Sanmon Gate was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1955. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a grand five-bay gate with tall lower columns. Slightly smaller and more slender than the Sanmon of Zenkoji in Nagano, it is richly decorated inside and out and is a representative large building of the late Edo period.

What to Look For

According to Kai Zenkoji, the two-storey gate is 16.88 metres wide, 6.75 metres deep and 15 metres high at the ridge, a full-scale structure blending traditional Japanese and Zen styles.

Guardian Nio figures stand on either side of the Kai Zenkoji Temple Sanmon Gate, though Kofu City notes that they appear, for unknown reasons, to have been left unfinished. Through the gate the T-roofed main hall comes into view.

Visiting

According to Kai Zenkoji, admission is 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for elementary school children, with entry from 9:00 to 16:30 (longer during the periodic unveiling of the sacred image). The temple is a 7-minute walk from Zenkoji Station on the JR Minobu Line and a 15-minute walk from Sakaori Station on the JR Chuo Line, with free parking (Kai Zenkoji).

Beyond the Kai Zenkoji Temple Sanmon Gate stands the main hall, also an Important Cultural Property. See the group page Kai Zenkoji Temple for both buildings.