Rashōmon

nihongo|Rashōmon|羅城門 or 羅生門|Rajōmon or Raseimon|literally "the castle gate" was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijō-kyō (Nara) and Heian-kyō (Kyoto), in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout. At the other far north-end of Suzaku Avenue, one would reach the Suzakumon Gate, the main entrance to the palace zone. As of 2007, the southern end of Suzaku Avenue and the possible remainder of the equivalent gate in Fujiwara-kyō (Kashihara) are yet to be discovered.

The gate was originally called the "Rajōmon" gate; "Rajō" (羅城) indicates the outer precincts of the castle, so "Rajōmon" signifies the main gate to the castle grounds — the city, as ancient Chinese cities are believed to have been completely surrounded by walls as if they were castles. In Japan, however, excavations suggest that the ancient cities were not necessarily completely closed. The name "Rashōmon" (using the kanji 羅生門) has gained popularity since it appeared in a play by the noh playwright Kanze Nobumitsu. [cite web|url=http://www.city.kyoto.jp/somu/rekishi/fm/nenpyou/pdffile/toshi05.pdf
title=羅城門 ("Rajomon") |accessdate=2007-04-10 |date=2002-04-10 |work=Kyoto City | language= Japanese |format = pdf] [Akira Kurosawa, "Rashomon: Akira Kurosawa, Director", pp. 114-115. Rutgers University Press, 1987]

Most recently the gate is called "Rajōmon" (羅城門), especially when referring to the gate itself (rather than the noh play or novelised stories.)

Rashōmon in Kyoto (Heian-kyō)

The Rashōmon in Kyoto was the grander of the two city gates built during the Heian Period (794-1185). Built in 789, it was convert|106|ft|m wide by convert|26|ft|m high, with a convert|75|ft|m|sing=on stone wall and topped by a ridge-pole. By the 12th century it had fallen into disrepair and had become an unsavory place, with a reputation as a hideout for thieves and other disreputable characters. People would abandon corpses and unwanted babies at the gate.

The ruined gate is the central setting — and provides the title — for Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's short story Rashomon which would later form an element of the 1950 film directed by Akira Kurosawa. Akutagawa's use of the gate was deliberately symbolic, with the gate's ruined state representing the moral and physical decay of Japanese civilization and culture in the Heian period. According to one legend, it was even inhabited by the demon Ibaraki Dōji. [ [http://www.kabuki21.com/ibaraki.php Ibaraki ] ]

Today, not even a foundation stone of the gate remains. A stone pillar marks the place where it once stood, behind a nondescript shop on Kujō street, west of Route 1 within walking distance from the Heian-period temple Tō-ji. A wooden sign written in Japanese and English explains the history and significance of the gate. The site sits directly next to a small playground. Though a nearby bus stop is named Rajōmon, those unfamiliar with the area are likely to miss the Rashōmon site.

Rajōmon in Nara (Heijo-kyō)

The Rajōmon in Nara stood about 4 km south to the Suzakumon of Heijō Palace. Their foundation stones were found in the excavations conducted between 1969 and 1972. From the remaining foundations, the width of the gate is estimated to have been 41.5 m.

Some of the foundation stones were reused in the 16th century by Toyotomi Hidenaga, who was expanding his castle in Kōriyama. [cite web|url=http://www5.kcn.ne.jp/~book-h/mm028.html | title= 奈良歴史漫歩 No.025 平城京羅城門と来世墓の鳥居 (Heijo-kyo Rajomon etc.) |accessdate=2007-04-10 | work = ブックハウス (bukku hausu) | language = Japanese]

References

ee also

*Suzakumon, the southern gate on ancient palace grounds

External links

* [http://www.crock11.freeserve.co.uk/rajomon.htm Rajomon Gate]