Niōmon Gate (Important Cultural Property)

A small stone bridge at the edge of Taiyuin's sacred grounds leads to the Niomon Gate, first of three protective gates guarding the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, completed in 1653. The two Nio guardian figures flanking the gate hold their mouths in different positions: one open, forming the syllable ah, and one closed, forming un. Together they mark the beginning and end of all things. Just inside, the Omizuya Pavilion where visitors purify themselves has a dragon painted on its ceiling by Kano Yasunobu in the seventeenth century. The powerful lines remain visible despite centuries of fading.