Sanmom of Nanzen-ji symbolizes the three roads to Buddhist liberation and is well known as one of the three biggest gates in Japan. The original gate was built in 1296 but burned down. The present gate was constructed in 1628 by Todo Takatora in memory of warriors who died in the battlefield of Osaka Natsu-no-jin. The gate is in the true Zen style, with a gabled roof of baked clay tiles and with 5 pillars and 3 entrances. The height of the gate is approx. 22 meters. In the center, a statue of Buddha with a jewelled crown is accompanied by 16 Arhat statues. Images of Tokugawa leyasu and Todo Takatora, as well as mortuary tablets of high ranked courtiers are enshrined here. The paintings of phoenixes and heavenly maidens are by Kano Tanyu and Tosa Tokuetsu. This gate is also famous for a Kabuki scene featuring Ishikawa Goemon, a kind of Japanese Robin Hood.
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