Torii Gates

The Japanese call the iconic red gates at some Shinto shrines torii. The styling comes from the Indian torana (Sanskrit: तोरण). Perhaps the most famous torii appears as a path leading up Mount Inari to the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine, in Kyoto. Approximately 800 torii placed closely together form a tunnel up to the main Inari shrine, with thousands more situated around the mountain, between shrines.

Cold and rainy, we did not spend a lot of time walking through the tunnel formed by the gates. The few pictures snapped under the torii did not turn out well, either.

Here’s a picture of our group. Our neighbors and good friends flew out from Reno to join us on our tour of Japan.

A shot of just me and AJ.

A closer look at the torii. Businesses pay for the torii installation and upkeep. Some of the writings contain spiritual or inspirational messages, others simply acknowledge the donating business or serve as advertisement.