Hamaguri Gomon Gate 蛤御門

Official explanation

The gate acquired its name Hamaguri Gomon (“Clam Gate”) after a great fire burnt down many of the buildings within the compound. As the fire raged, this gate is said to have opened up like a clam tossed on the flames, allowing residents to flee.

This gate is also famed as the site of the Kinmon Incident (Kinmon no Hen), also known as the Hamaguri Imperial Gate Incident. In 1864, near the end of the feudal Edo period (1603–1868), the Sonno Joi party, who aimed to restore the power of the emperor and expel those they saw as barbarian foreigners, rose in rebellion and attempted to storm the palace. It is still possible to see the bullet marks left in the weathered beams by the fighting that took place as the rebels were repulsed.

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.