Kara-mon, the Imperial Messenger Gate (National Treasure) 三宝院 唐門

Official explanation

The Imperial Messenger Gate (Kara-mon), designated a National Treasure, is the gate traditionally reserved for imperial envoys entering the residence of the abbot. It was built in 1599 and renovated in 2010.

The gate displays four shallow relief crests rendered in maki-e style gold leaf on black lacquer ground. The chrysanthemums are composed of sixteen-petals, a design exclusively reserved for the imperial family, and two paulownia flowers with leaves.

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The paulownia crest was originally also used by the imperial family, and subsequently adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as the crest of the House of Toyotomi.

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.