Torii
From Free net encyclopedia
A torii (Japanese: 鳥居) is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermilion. Some torii have tablets with writing mounted between the crossbars. Traditionally, torii are made of wood or stone. In recent times, makers have started to use steel and even stainless steel.
Inari shrines typically have many torii. A person who has been successful in business often donates a torii in gratitude. The Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto has thousands of torii.
As hinted by the kanji (鳥 tori: bird; 居 i: place), a torii is designed for birds to rest. This is because in Shintoism, birds are considered messengers of the gods.
The origin of the torii is said to come from an old Japanese legend, when the sun goddess Amaterasu became extremely annoyed with her prankster brother. She hid herself in a cave and sealed the entrance with a rock, causing an eclipse. The people were afraid that if the sun never returned, they all would die. So, at the advice of a wise old man, they built a large bird perch out of wood and placed all the town's roosters on this perch. They all started to crow noisily, causing the curious sun goddess to peek out of her cave. Having opened the door a crack, a large sumo wrestler from the town ran up and pushed the rock away, letting the sun out and thus the world was saved. That bird perch was the first torii gate. From then on, the torii became a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, and spread all over Japan.
Similar structures can be found in Tai societies. Compare also to torana, in Hindu and Buddhist architecture (India, Nepal).
See also
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