Niōmon

Niōmon (仁王門, lit. Niō gate) is the Japanese name of a Buddhist temple gate guarded by two wooden warriors called Niō (lit. Two Kings). The gate is called Heng Ha Er Jiang (哼哈二将) in China and Geumgangmun (금강문) in Korea.^{[citation needed]} The two statues are inside the two posts of the gate itself, one at the left, one at the right. Structurally, it usually is either a rōmon or a nijūmon and can measure either 5x2 or 3x2 bays.^[1] It can sometimes have just one story, as in the case of Asakusa's Kaminarimon.^{[citation needed]}

In a five-bay gate, the figures of the two Niō are usually enshrined in the two outer bays, but can be sometimes found also in the inner ones.^[1] The statue on the right is called Naraen Kongō (那羅延金剛) and has his mouth open to utter the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, which is pronounced "a". The left statue is called Misshaku Kongō (密迹金剛) and has his mouth closed, representing the last letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, pronounced "um". These two letters (a-un in Japanese) together symbolize the birth and death of all things.^[2]

See also

• Mon (architecture)

Notes

Styles

Secular	Azekura Buke Gassho Giyōfū Hirairi Imperial Crown Style Jutaku Omoya Shinden Shoin Sukiya
Religious	Shinto Azekura Hachiman Hiyoshi (Hie) Irimoya Ishi-no-ma Kasuga Kibitsu Nagare Shinmei Sumiyoshi Taisha Buddhist Daibutsuyō Ōbaku Zen Setchūyō Wayō Zenshūyō

Types of building

Secular	Castle Chashitsu Kura Machiya Minka Yagura
Religious	Shinto Haiden Heiden Hokora Honden Kofun Setsumatsusha Shinto shrine Torii Buddhist Butsuden Dō Hōkyōintō Kyōzō Main Hall Pagoda Shichidō garan Shōrō Tahōtō

Roof stylesStructural and spatialRoomsFurnishingsPartitionsOutdoor objectsMeasurementsOrganizationsRelated topics

Groups of Traditional Buildings Iki Japanese garden (rock (Zen)) Kumiko Ryokan Sentō Wabi-sabi Yabo
National Treasures	Castles Residences Shrines Temples Other structures