Nakanomon Gate 中ノ門

Official explanation

Nakanomon, the “Middle Gate,” once stood here at the midpoint of the stretch of moat that ran along the southern side of Himeji Castle. It was the primary gate in the outer fortifications, connected by a thoroughfare to the castle’s main entrance at Otemon Gate; thus it lay on the route high-ranking visitors traveled on their way to the fortress. Nakanomon Gate was closed at night; the only people allowed to pass after dark were doctors making emergency calls.

Nakanomon stood near an important intersection between the road to the castle and a major regional trade route called the Saikoku Kaido. For this reason, official domain proclamations were posted on a billboard nearby.

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.