is a historical

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

( mon) located in the

Bunkyō is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as ...

ward of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. One of two remaining gates of the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

mansions in the city (the other one is '' Kuromon'', currently located in the Tokyo National Museum). It was constructed in 1827 in the late

in the residence of the

Maeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan through Sugawara no Kiyotom ...

in Edo. The purpose of the gate was to welcome Lady Yasu-hime, a daughter of Tokugawa Ienari, as a bride for Nariyasu Maeda. It is currently located in the grounds of the University of Tokyo, and it has been designated an Important Cultural Property. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it was registered as a National Treasure.

History

''Akamon'' was built in 1827 in the residence of the

in Edo by Nariyasu Maeda (1811-1884), the 12th Lord of the Kaga. This residence stood in what is now the Hongo Campus of the University of Tokyo. The occasion for building the gate was to welcome Lady Yasu (1813-1868), the 21st daughter of Tokugawa Ienari (1773–1841), the 11th Tokugawa shōgun, as a bride for Nariyasu Maeda. The

was one of the most powerful samurai families in

. They ruled the Kaga Domain, which was associated to the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of Kaga, Noto and Etchū in modern-day

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

and Toyama Prefecture on the island of

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

. In 1903 the gate became the entrance for the University of Tokyo. At the end of the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

(1868-1912), it was moved to its current location, 15 meters west of where it originally stood. The gate was closed in February 2021 over structural integrity concerns. An inspection revealed that the gate may collapse during an earthquake or typhoon. The university plans to eventually reinforce the gate's column bases and lighten the 30 ton roof to make it safe enough to re-open.

Access

''Akamon'' is located in the grounds of the Hongo Campus in the University of Tokyo. There is no entrance fee. It can be seen from the street. Although previously open to the public, it is currently closed due to fears of collapse during an earthquake or typhoon.

References

External links

Akamon website at the University of Tokyo
{{University of Tokyo Gates in Japan Buildings and structures in Bunkyō Important Cultural Properties of Japan University of Tokyo