By CHISAKO YONEDA/ Staff Writer
April 12, 2022 at 08:00 JST
The restored Daigokumon gate at the Nara Palace Site Historical Park is shown on March 19, with the Daigokuden hall, which was rebuilt in 2010, seen through the open gate. (Chisako Yoneda)
NARA--The rebuilt Daigokumon gate, unveiled during a ceremony at the state-run Nara Palace Site Historical Park here, brought back flashes of the ancient glory of the old capital.
Also known as Minami-mon (south gate), the structure serves as the front gate to the Daiichiji Daigokuden-in (former Imperial Audience Hall Compound) of the Heijo Palace.
Standing about 22 meters wide, 9 meters deep and 20 meters tall, Daigokumon is reminiscent of the Heijo Palace in the ancient capital of Heijokyo in the early Nara Period (710-784).
Used for important state ceremonies, the Daiichiji Daigokuden-in was a compound surrounded by cloisters with the Daiichiji Daigokuden hall (restored in 2010) standing at the center.
Although no records show the name of the original gate, it was called Daigokumon when the restoration project started.
According to “Shoku Nihongi,” the imperially commissioned history text on the Nara Period, Emperor Shomu (701-756) observed an event held on the south side of the gate.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism drew up the restoration plan based on excavation results provided by the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.
Construction began in November 2017 using traditional building techniques with a total cost of about 5.6 billion yen ($45.9 million).
About 80 people, including Nara Governor Shogo Arai, attended the March 19 ceremony to observe the unveiling of the “hengaku” sign featuring “Daigokumon.”
The ministry is set to start a restoration project in April for the Toro building that stood on the east side of Daigokumon, with a goal to complete construction in fiscal 2025.
Officials also said they are eyeing reconstruction of the Sairo building on the west side, as well as the cloisters.
“We hope visitors imagine how state ceremonies were performed, and feel the history of the Nara Period,” said Takashi Nakamura, head of the ministry’s Asuka Historical National Government Park Office.
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