Torii

Japan's Gates to Another World

Kevin Haase Jun 19, 2021 - 1 min read

A torii found between the monasteries on Mount Koya

Famous photo spot at the lake front below the Hakone Shrine

This torii can be found in Heda on the west coast of Shizuoka's Izu Peninsula

A torii at Cape Osé with Mount Fuji rising in the background

A small torii at the Nakasendo hiking trail in rural Japan

Busy street with torii in Kyoto leading to Fushimi Inari Taisha

Famous rows of torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha

A tiny shrine torii at Chichibu shrine in central Saitama

Torii with a view close to the summit of Mount Fuji

Torii at Motonosumi Inari shrine in Yamaguchi

Another shot of the Heda's Torii in Shizuoka

Some torii to be found in a side street in Narita city

Motonosumi Inari shrine torii guarded by fox in Yamaguchi

Torii mark your entrance to a sacred place

A torii with stone lions guarding secluded Tōfū-jinja shrine in the mountains north of Kyoto

The largest torii in Kyoto can be found next to the MoMA

A torii leads to a sacred shrine and koi pond at Cape Ose

A torii at a shrine in Gifu's Shirakawa-go

A wooden torii leading you into the moss shrine of Heisenji Hakusan

Entrance to the small Tōfū-jinja Shrine hidden in the mountains a days hike out of Kyoto

This torii opening to Nachi Falls definitely counts as an otherworldly place

Tourists pass a torii at Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha

A torii is kept in shape at Fushimi Inari Taisha

You can find these torii leading to small shrines all along the ancient Nakasendo hiking trail in the Kiso valley

This torii can be found in an enchanted forest between hundreds of stone figurines at Choanji temple in the Hakone mountains

A raven watches over this torii at Enoshima island

A seaside shrine used by fishermen you can wander directly into the clear water for a swim in Heda Habour

The Hakone shrine torii with Mount Fuji in the background

A concrete torii that leads to a shrine in Fujiyoshida

Some small shrines like this you will only find by accident deep in rural Japan...

...leading you to the places where the kami live live

Driving along the west cost of Lake Biwa you will pass this famous torii standing in waters of the lake

On clear days the Heda torii is dwarfed by Mount Fuji in the background

A torii leading into a small town north of Nagoya, close to the famous Meiji Mura

A fascinating and picturesque part of Japanese culture, Torii, like the church towers of Europe or the minarets in the Middle East, can be found all over the country to indicate a sacred place of worship.

Given Shinto's deep bonds with nature, torii are often situated in places of spiritual beauty like forests or the seaside. As you journey through Japan, you can see gates of various sizes, some even towering over streets large enough to let busses pass underneath.

Some shrines like the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha even offer sponsorships for their torii, taken up for good fortune by companies and people who can afford the hundred thousands of Yen depending on the size of the gate, should you ever wonder what the decorative kanji writing at the back of the torii mean.

All torii in these pitures can be found on the main Island of Honshu.