Sanmon Gate

The Sanmon Gate at Nanzen-ji stands nearly seventy-two feet tall, built entirely of dark, weathered wood that seems to absorb the surrounding light. It was commissioned in sixteen twenty-eight by Todo Takatora to honor soldiers who died in the Siege of Osaka. A climber who reaches the top balcony is rewarded with a panoramic view of Kyoto that once inspired a famous thief named Ishikawa Goemon to call the sight magnificent while he sat perched on the rafters in legend.