Knockin' On Heaven's Door

One of the most iconic images of Japan is something most foreigners don't even know the name to. Called a torii, which translates to "bird perch", it is a traditional Japanese gate found usually at the entrance to a Shinto shrine (You can learn more about Shinto HERE) , but to confuse the heck out of you, they are also found at the entrance to Buddhist shrines (Here's a history of Japan's Buddhism), but it's not very usual.

Torii are traditionally made of stone or wood - but Buddha help us all, you can sometimes find them nowadays made of concrete, copper, stainless steel... whatever. I suppose it's the shape that has the meaning.
Torri are either unpainted, or are painted vermilion - at least that's pretty much what I have seen, though I'm told the upper lintel can be painted black.
For your viewing pleasure, I'm going to show you some of the Torii I photographed in and around the Ohtawara area - and as an added bonus, I've included some photos from the 1930s I own when I picked up an old photo album at a garage sale in Utsonomiya.
To see what I'm talking about click on PHOTOS.

Somewhere waiting at the gates of dawn,
Andrew Joseph
Today's title was written and performed by Bob Dylan (not Guns N Roses!). You can listen to Bob HERE.