Somon, Main Entrance Gate 総門

Official explanation

The fifteen-meter-high main entrance to Shinshoji Temple marks the boundary between the outside world and the temple grounds. The gate is carved with images of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Carved into the gate are images of the animals representing the twelve-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The eight Buddhist deities affiliated with the twelve years (four are guardians to two different years) are enshrined in the upper floor and protect all those who pass through the gate.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.