The most ornate gate in the world

Yomeimon is definitely the world’s most ornate gate. The morning’s chill had definitely given way to a warm day by the time we came to the steps in front of the gate and took it in. A year after Tokugawa Iyeasu’s death in 1616, the Toshogu shrine was built in Nikko to celebrate the deified unifier of Japan. The Yomeimon is the entrance to the main part of the shrine. The first time I’d been here, I had to hurry past it. Now, as I stood there and looked at it I understood why it is sometimes called the all-day gate; I could well stand there all day admiring the details of each of its 508 carvings.

We stopped to admire the gate from the foot of the stairs. There are many details which you can see even from this distance. First, the appearance of curved gables over all four sides of the gate. That makes it an example of the ornate four legged style of gates, although that specific appellation is attached to an inner gate. And then, of course, the numerous lions and dragons. But soon it was time to move closer, the better to admire the detailed carvings.

The gate is made of wood and metal. The carvings are very true to life, where they imitate life. The peacock and the pair of mandarin ducks are examples. The phoenix and the dragons allow the carvers to exercise the best of their ingenuity. And then there are the stories: like the panel of the child Sima Guang (who during the 11th century in China’s Northern Song Dynasty became a famous scholar) breaking a pot into which a friend had fallen. There are messages in the carvings. The peacock symbolized wealth and family. Mandarin ducks were believed to be faithful. The phoenix signified long life. And Sima Guang’s story implied that human life is worth more than things.

The gold leaf is applied using a traditional technique. Mercury is applied over the copper plates, before sheets of gold leaf are pressed on to it. Then the metal is heated so that mercury evaporates and the gold bonds to the copper. Over this some details are painted using natural mineral colour, Iwaenogu, to make the details more vivid. Eventually the colour begins to fade and peel, revealing the gold beneath. This weathering is supposed to be particularly beautiful.