Middle Gate
(Chūmon)

Located at the southernmost point of the main Shitennōji Temple complex or chūshin garan, the Middle Gate is a niōmon, a gate of the guardian kings. Enshrined within the gate is a pair of threatening Niō, deities said to protect the historical Buddha and his teachings. One has his mouth open, and the other’s mouth is closed. Both statues in the Middle Gate were carved by the master sculptors Matsuhisa Hōrin (1901–1987) and Matsuhisa Sōrin (1926–1992). The open-mouthed one on the east side is named Nara’en Kongō Rikishi, and the closed-mouthed one on the west side is named Misshaku Kongō Rikishi. Each statue weighs roughly 1 metric ton and stands 5.3 meters tall.

The buildings in the chūshin garan were destroyed during World War II, and the gate was rebuilt as a reinforced concrete building in 1963. The current gate is three bays wide with twelve pillars and a hip-and-gable roof. Everything, from its overall design to details like the cloud-shaped brackets, reflects what the gate looked like when it was first built in the sixth century. Together with the other reconstructed buildings in the chūshin garan, it was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2022.