Heian period,A place where people feared that demons would appear at night and devour people.There was a Wanting to see again the place of the strange legend, I visited a children's park in Karahashi Rajomon-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto City. In one corner of the park, there is a stone monument surrounded by a fence. The monument readsRajomon RuinsIt was inscribed with the words.

Stone monument at the site of Rajomon Gate

This is the place.The location of the Rajomon Gate, which was built as the main entrance to the capital at the time of the establishment of Heiankyo.It is. It is also located at the southernmost end of Suzaku-oji Avenue, which was the main street of Heian-kyo, and bounded by Kujo-oji Avenue (now Kujo-dori), which stretches from east to west in front of it.Gate separating the inside and outside of Heian-kyoIt was also the case that the city people of that time The city people of that time were not only theOnce you step out of the Rajomon gate, you are in a different world!I also heard that there was a perception that

Because the gate served such a function, it was magnificent in size and appearance. The gate was about 35 m wide, 9 m deep, and 21 m high, with vermilion-lacquered wood and white clay walls. The gate was built with a two-storied gabled roof with a tiled roof and a shibibi (a small roof shingle) on the top. On the top of the tower, a statue of Kabutobo Bishamonten was enshrined as a symbol of protection of the royal castle.

However, this Rajomon gate, although it served as the front gate of the capitalSurprisingly short-lived, with an active period of about 180 yearsIt was a building with structural defects. It seems to have been structurally defective, and although it was rebuilt after collapsing in a great wind in 816, it collapsed again in a rainstorm in 980. Twenty-four years later, a plan to rebuild the temple was proposed, but it was never completed due to the bizarre reason that it was too "daring" to be rebuilt.The area was left to its own devices, and before long it became the home of foxes, raccoon dogs, ghosts, and thieves.It seems to have become a

Rajomon, which has suffered such a harsh fate, has a number ofStrange stories have been passed down to the present.One of them is "Watanabe Tsuna," one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, famous for his extermination of demons on Mt. One of them is the "Tuna Watanabe," one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who was famous for his extermination of demons on Mount Oe.The Extermination of the Demon Women of Rashomon."The demon who had his arm cut off by Tsuna Watanabe at the Rajomon gate came to get it back. It is said that a demon whose arm was cut off by Watanabe Tsuna at Rajomon came to take back the arm disguised as Tsuna's nanny, but Watanabe Tsuna successfully took the demoness's head and exterminated her. On the other hand, it is said that demons that enjoyed the elegant atmosphere also inhabited Rajomon, and when a certain person passed through the gate late at night while humming a Chinese poem, he heard an exclamation of admiration from above the gate.

Rajomon Watanabe Tsuna's Demon Arm Slaying
(Reprinted from the Diet Digital Collections)

This strange story of Rajomon also appears in Konjaku Monogatari Shu, Vol. 29, No. 18. In it, a thief finds an old woman stealing the hair of a dead man at the gate, takes the old woman's robe and leaves,Ryunosuke Akutagawa's masterpiece "Rashomon" was created based on this anecdoteThe work depicts a grasshopper chirping, so the season is probably late summer or early autumn. The grasshopper chirping is depicted in the work, so the season must have been from late summer to early autumn. It is said that the dead bodies were left piled on top of each other on the ruined Rajomon Gate tower, which must have been very eerie.

By the way, although Rajomon Gate was lost about 1,000 years ago, it is said that the statue of Kabutobibhimonten, who once guarded the capital from evil demons with an enraged look from its tower, was later moved to the Golden Hall of Toji Temple (Kyoohogokokuji Temple). Nowadays, he seems to be worshipped as a god of treasure and good fortune.

Five-storied Pagoda of Toji Temple

In addition, on November 21, 2016, the Kyoto Station North Exit Plaza will be filled with the formerA 1/10th sized model of Rajomon is on display.The model was made by the Miyako Daikon (shrine carpenters) association in 1994 to commemorate the 1200th anniversary of the transfer of the capital to Kyoto. This model was made in 1994 by the Miyako (shrine carpenters) Association to commemorate the 1200th anniversary of the relocation of the capital to Kyoto, and was originally placed in the basement of Mielparque Kyoto. It is illuminated at night and looks fantastic.

Model of Rajomon (in front of Kyoto Station)

However, after observing for a while, surprisingly few people stop and pay attention.In the busy minds of modern man, there is no room for even the demons that once made the people of Heian-kyo tremble.I guess that's what it means.

Rajomon model and Kyoto Tower