n.
Symbolic gateway marking the entrance to Shint 014D; shrines or other sacred spots in Japan.
It has many variations, but it characteristically consists of two cylindrical posts topped by a crosswise rectangular beam extending beyond the posts on either side and a second crosswise beam a short distance below. The top beam often curves upward. Some authorities relate the torii to the Indian torana , others to Manchurian and Chinese gates. Often painted red, the torii demarcates the boundary between sacred and ordinary space.
Camphor wood torii at the shrine of Itsukushima, on Itsuku-shima, Japan
Paolo Koch
Rapho/Photo Researchers