heijuumon　塀重門

KEY WORD :　architecture / gates

Also written 塀中門 and sometimes read heichoumon; also called heichimon or heijimon 塀地門 or kabechuumon 壁中門, kabejuumon 壁重門. Another synonym for heijuumon is hira heijuumon 平塀重門. A gate constructed in a thick mud wall. A gate composed of two sections that are hung with space about 8cm between their under edges and a stone ground sill. The sill is flush with the soil, so horses can enter and exit freely. It opens inward from the center. Each side is attached to a sturdy square or slightly rectangular post that extends well above the top of the gate itself. There is no lintel or roof connecting the posts at the top. The top of each post is finished in a low pyramidal shape. The gate panels sometimes have only one panel on each leaf which is decorated with diagonal crosspieces *tasuki 襷, and sometimes has elaborate variations in panel sizes. The center and bottom panels may have not only diagonal crosspieces but vertical and horizontal pieces. These form a frame for the panels. These gates appeared around the latter part of the 12c and are found behind the main gate of an aristocrats residence or set within a fence attached to a main building. Example: Kamo Wakeikazuchi Jinja Heijuumon 賀茂別雷神社塀重門 (late 1620s) in Kyoto.

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