Niōmon

Main article: Mon (architecture)

A niōmon

The 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 (金剛門) 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]

The two Niō

Naraen Kongō 　   Misshaku Kongō

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Nioumon". JAANUS. http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/n/nioumon.htm. Retrieved 27 August 2010. 
2. ^ Parent, Mary Neighbour. Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System. A-un, retrieved on 9-28-10