A timber shape cast in concrete
Yamagata Shrine Torii (山縣神社鳥居) is the reinforced concrete gateway at the southern entrance to Yamagata Shrine in Shinohara, Kai City, Yamanashi Prefecture, erected in 1923 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 August 2016.
It stands 6.8 metres high with 4.5 metres between the posts. The type is shinmei torii, the plainest form, its lintel a straight member with no upward curve. The surface is mortar in an araidashi washed finish, which exposes the grain of the aggregate. The main hall, worship hall and chozuya all date from the shrine's founding in 1921; the torii alone came 2 years later.
The material is concrete, but the shape it copies is wooden. Round posts rise vertically as though sunk straight into the ground, a squared tie-beam links them, and where the two meet the form of a wedge has been modelled into the surface. Concrete needs no wedge to hold anything. The shape of one was kept anyway.
An example of the modern torii
Yamagata Shrine Torii carries registration number 19-0080, the last of the four numbers issued to the shrine. Its criterion is the first one, a model of design, the same ground as the main hall. The worship hall and the chozuya were listed for their contribution to the landscape; the torii was listed for its form.
The national database calls it an example of the torii in the modern period. The 1920s were the years when reinforced concrete began to appear in the structures of shrines and temples, chosen against the rot and fire that timber could not escape. Keeping the old form while changing the material is exactly what this gateway records.
In the database it is classed as an other constructed work, as the chozuya is, and counted the way torii are counted: 1 structure rather than 1 building.
Worth walking up to
From a distance Yamagata Shrine Torii is hard to tell from a wooden shinmei gate. The difference appears up close. The washed finish leaves fine aggregate standing proud of the surface, catching light in a way no timber does, and looking into the joint between post and tie-beam shows a single continuous casting where a carpenter would have left a seam.
The modelled wedges are the detail to find. In a timber torii, wedges lock the tie-beam in place. Here they carry no load at all, yet the shape was carved into the mould rather than dropped from the design, which says something about how complete the old form was felt to be.
Where you stand changes what you see. Head on, the 4.5 metre opening frames the worship hall at the end of the approach. Step aside and look up, and the outline reduces to the vertical of 6.8 metre posts against the horizontal of the lintel. Almost no curve anywhere, which is the point of the shinmei type.
Seeing it
Everyone entering the precinct passes under Yamagata Shrine Torii, since it marks the start of the approach. There is no fee and no time restriction, and the whole gateway can be taken in from the road as well. Of the four listed structures it is the easiest to see, and its outline stays legible under street lighting after dark.
No notice forbids photography. The front of the torii faces the road, so watch for traffic when choosing where to stand. On the autumn equinox, stalls line the approach between this gateway and the worship hall and the portable shrine passes through it.
Directions and parking are covered on the Yamagata Shrine page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamanashi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamagata Shrine Torii
- [ Mt. Fuji & Lake Kawaguchiko Day Tours ]
Q&A
- When was Yamagata Shrine Torii built?
- In 1923, some 2 years after the main hall, worship hall and chozuya of 1921. It was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 August 2016.
- What is Yamagata Shrine Torii made of?
- Reinforced concrete with a mortar washed finish, shaped to reproduce a wooden shinmei torii.
- How large is Yamagata Shrine Torii?
- It is 6.8 metres high with 4.5 metres between the posts, registered as 1 structure.
- Why was Yamagata Shrine Torii registered?
- Under the criterion of being a model of design. The national database describes it as an example of the torii in the modern period.
- Where is Yamagata Shrine Torii?
- At the southern end of the precinct, at the entrance to the approach. Walking north from it, the chozuya is on the west side and the worship hall stands ahead.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamagata Shrine Torii (山縣神社鳥居) |
|---|---|
| Location | 190-1 Shinohara, Kai City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure, classified as other constructed work), registration number 19-0080, criterion: a model of design |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete with mortar washed finish; 6.8 metres high, 4.5 metres between the posts |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Yamagata Shrine |
| Public Access | Stands at the entrance to the approach; visible at all times |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database — Yamagata Shrine Torii
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011130
- Cultural Heritage Online — Cultural properties of Kai City, Yamanashi
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/region/19/19210
- Yamanashi Prefecture — List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (structures)
- https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp/bunka/bunkazaihogo/tourokuyukei.html
- Yamanashi Tourism Organization — Yamagata Shrine, listed structures and access
- https://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/rekitabi/jisha/spot/032.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
