Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Torii
A torii (Japanese: 鳥居) is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermilion. Some torii have tablets with writing mounted between the crossbars. Traditionally, torii are made of wood or stone. In recent times, makers have started to use steel and even stainless steel.
Inari shrines typically have many torii. A person who has been successful in business often donates a torii in gratitude. The Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto has thousands of torii.
Similar structures can be found in Tai societies. Compare also to torana, in Hinduist and Buddhist architecture (India, Nepal)
10-26-2009 08:16:03
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The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details