Soshamon Gate 総社門

Official explanation

Soshamon is the name of a Shinto shrine located a few minutes’ walk to the northeast. During the Edo period (1603–1867), the gate that guarded Himeji Castle at this location was left open to the general public when the shrine held festivals. It was a rare exception to the castle’s tight security; normally only samurai who served Himeji’s daimyo lord could pass though the ring of gates without special permission.

Soshamon Gate looked like Nakanomon Gate to the west. It had an outer gateway facing south, and an inner gateway facing east. Today, only a small portion of stone wall survives.

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.