Altarpiece (Japan, Kyoto)

Higashi Hongan-ji, one of the two great temples of the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist movement, houses a unique structure: the Sanmon , a monumental gate whose current version dates from 1911, after several successive fires. This powerful architecture is typical of the karayō style, a form imported from China in the 8th century and adapted to the values ​​of Japanese Buddhism.

The karayō is distinguished by its oversized double-pitched roof , its corbelled consoles ( tokyō ), and the use of solid wood without nails , assembled using complex framing techniques passed down for centuries by master roofers ( miyadaiku ). This know-how is now classified as intangible heritage in Japan.

The Sanmon is not just an architectural threshold: it symbolizes the entrance into awakening, separating the profane world from the world of truth ( shinjitsu ). On certain dates, it is illuminated by paper lanterns during the Hanatōro , a nighttime ritual where the faithful walk in silence, lit by hundreds of candles, to the heart of the temple.