Torii gates are perches for chickens.

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 Japanese shrines have torii gates.
The torii is a boundary that separates the world where people live from the world where the gods live. It is a barrier.



There are various theories about the origin of the torii, but it is said to represent a roosting place for chickens.

In Japan, there is a legend that Amaterasu Oomikami, the sun goddess, hid herself away because she didn't like the antics of her brother, Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
Because the sun goddess hid herself, the world became dark. 8 million gods (yaoyorozu) were troubled, and the story goes that they lured the sun goddess out by making many chickens crow at once.


Origin of the Cave Door Dance (Amaterasu) by Shunsai Toshimasa 1889

From this legend, chickens came to be believed to be messengers of the gods who announce the end of a dark night.
There are many shrines in Japan that worship chickens.
For example, the Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture, the Tokei Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture, and the Isonokami Shrine in Nara Prefecture are all shrines that worship chickens.

The torii gate is a symbol that was created to make chickens feel at home. And the torii gate has been around for longer than the shrines themselves.
In ancient Japan, shrines were temporary structures.

It's not possible to explain shrines and 8 million gods (yaoyorozu)  of Japan in a short article, so I'll write about them another time.

Changing the subject, let's introduce the largest and smallest torii in Japan.

The largest torii in Japan is at Kumano Hongu Taisha in Wakayama Prefecture.
It is 34 meters (111 ft) high and 42 meters (138 ft) wide.
The main shrine building of the shrine was located here until 1889, but it was washed away in a flood.
This torii was built in 2000 at the site of the shrine.
The shrine has now been rebuilt about 500 meters away from the torii.

 On the other hand, the smallest torii is the one at the Awashima Shrine in Kumamoto Prefecture.
This torii is 30 cm (1 ft) high and 30 cm (1 ft) wide.
There is a legend that if a woman can pass through this small torii, she will never get sick.
Even now, the shrine is crowded with many worshippers during festivals.


The torii at Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima is also famous.
The vermillion torii standing in the sea is very beautiful.


There are also other torii in Japan, such as the one standing in the middle of a road (Nagoya: Toyokuni Shrine), the one buried under volcanic ash (Kagoshima: Haragoshajinja Shrine), and the one half-blown away by the blast of an atomic bomb (Nagasaki: San'no Shrine).

 


 If you come to Japan, please take a look at the torii.






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