George Breeden Blog 12

The Torii

In Japanese culture the Torii is understood as: “The gate way into Shinto temples…” Commonly they stand in front of the paths leading into the different temples or shrines and: “They are made generally of two posts supporting two horizontal lintels.” (Bowker, 985) The first of these lintels is referred to as the kasagi, and it is positioned below the second and top lintel called the nuki. While there are many different styles of Torii, perhaps the two most popular styles are the Myojin-style and the Ryobu-style. The Myojin-style is the most stereotypical of the Torii styles, with its two pillars capped by a straight kasagi and a curved nuki connected to the kasagi by the vertical beam the gakazuka. The Ryobu-style of Torii is identical to the Myojin-style, in placement and shape of its different parts, the difference comes in the fact that Ryobu-style Torii stands on four pillars instead of the traditional two. The pillars of the different kinds of Torii are usually painted in the stunning vermillion color associated with the structures of East Asia, with the nuki being painted in a jet black to serve as contrast. In this explanation of the composition of the Torii it is important to point out that while the Torii is traditionally constructed of wood, there have been many modern cases when they have been built out of metal or stone. (Bowker, 985) This is because the meaning behind the Torii is not lost if it is built in a different style or out of a different material, but that it is a meaning that transcends the necessary material representation.