Torii

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Torii in front of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island , one of Japan's most famous landmarks

Torii ( Japanese 鳥 居 ) are elements of traditional Japanese architecture and as such are real or symbolic entrance gates of a shrine.

These are gates made of wood or stone (more rarely iron, bronze or concrete), which are often painted vermilion and mark the border between the profane and the sacred . They are the most striking sign of Shinto buildings, but they are also rarely found in Buddhist temples .

meaning

A single torii marks the entrance to a Shinto shrine . Further torii mark the boundaries of different areas that lead to the sacred areas of the respective shrine. The most famous torii is located off Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture .

A stylized torii is used on Japanese maps to indicate the location of Shinto shrines.

etymology

The characters used mean "bird seat". However, it is not clear where the naming comes from. These characters could be ateji, i.e. characters that only reproduce the phonetic value of a previously existing word with a different meaning.

According to another theory, the concept dates back to the identical verb tori iru ( 通り入る , pass through and enter) back.

elements

Elements of a torii

Each torii has two transverse bars: the upper one ( kasagi ), which rests on the two pillars, and the lower one ( nuki ), which cuts and connects both pillars.

  • kasagi ( 笠 木 , literally: umbrella wood)
  • daiwa ( 台 輪 , literally: base circle)
  • shimaki or shimagi ( 島 木 , literally: island wood)
  • kusabi ( 楔 , literally: bridge, connection)
  • nuki ( 貫 , literally: piercer)
  • hashira ( 柱 , literally: post, column)
  • gakuzuka ( 額 束 , literally: frame bundle)
  • kamebara ( 亀 腹 , literally: turtle belly) or daiishi ( 台 石 , literally: base stone)
  • nemaki ( 根 巻 , literally: root roll)

Typology

A 神明鳥居 ( Shinmei torii )
B 鹿島鳥居 ( Kashima torii )
C 明神鳥居 ( myojin Torii )
D 八幡鳥居 ( Hachiman Torii )
E 春日鳥居 ( Kasuga Torii )
F 中山鳥居 ( Nakayama torii )
G 外宮鳥居 ( Geku Torii )
H 三 柱 鳥 居 ( Mihashira Torii )
I 三輪 鳥 居 ( Miwa Torii )
J 両 部 鳥 居 ( Ryōbu Tori )）

  • Shime Torii
    ( 注 連 鳥 居 )

  • Shinmei Torii
    ( 神明 鳥 居 )

  • Ise Torii
    ( 伊 勢 鳥 居 )

  • Kashima Torii
    ( 鹿島 鳥 居 )

  • Kasuga Torii
    ( 春日 鳥 居 )

  • Hachiman Torii
    ( 八 幡 鳥 居 )

  • Mihashira Torii
    ( 三 柱 鳥 居 )

  • Ise torii

  • Hachiman Torii

  • Mihashira Torii

Picture gallery

Related structures

  • Indian Torana , transition to the sacred world

  • Gopuram gate tower to an Indian temple

  • Chinese pailou , gate of honor, comparable to a triumphal arch

literature

  • Yoshiko Watanabe-Rögner: Picture dictionary for an introduction to Japanese culture - architecture and religion . 1st edition. Helmut Buske Verlag, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-87548-346-8 .

Web links

Commons : Torii  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Yoshiko Watanabe-Rögner: Picture Dictionary for Introduction to Japanese Culture , 2008, p. 48 + p. 58
  2. ↑ http://www.gsi.go.jp/KIDS/map-sign/tizukigou/h05-01-17jinja.htm