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My mother’s relentless Guess attacks are repeated to me, a sloppy and deplorable man who live in Rajomon sleeping ten thousand years that morning as well.

How long are you going to sleep? Get up, my foolish son,

Uga~~~! Dogsha!

Mother angry like a demon
With my mother’s direct attack called deadly thorny club to my head, I am forced to get up today as well literally. It’s good, superb, and comfortable, my mother’s club.
“Hey, mother, good morning.”
“Don’t say good morning! It’s already evening.”
One more time, my mother’s side-beating club has attacked my face!

Ga ~~~~ n! Buho ah!!

Under my fading consciousness, I thought so. I was sleeping until such a time. What a mess, it cannot be helped.

“Geez, this sloppy and deplorable son. You can’t eat dinner as a punishment. And because the night will come a little after, for the daredevil kids who are going to come to try the liver, explain the how dreadful place Rajomon is. If you fail, I will eat you by throwing you in the earthenware pot.”
I, who couldn’t emit even the sound of hungry by my demon mother’s dreadful threat words, reluctantly talked about Rajomon.

Well, how many years have passed since I started to live in Rajomon? Having said that, though, it is now such an appearance. Rajomon, which was a magnificent tower gate, is now a small stone monument like this written “Rajomon” standing there.

Rajomon Ruins

What? You can’t know what Rajomon was? Hey you, don’t you know Rajomon? It cannot be helped. Well, this great and ridiculous son will teach you about it now. It is the gate that was built as the front entrance of Heiankyo at the south end point of the city in Heian era when Kyoto city was called Heiankyo in the past. “Rajo” means a castle wall surrounded the city in order to prevent the entering of enemies in Chinese fortified cities, but in Japan in substitute of walls the gate was built. Rajomon was built as a mental symbol to protect people’s lives and living living in the city from war fires and epidemic.
Including strong wish to protect people’s living and lives without “Rajo” people commissioned the gate only the functions and named it “Rajomon”. And this was the boundary that divided inside and outside the city.

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Well, then, to say what the gate was like? The gate was like this!

Well, revive, Rajomon do~~n.

Restored model of Rajomon (taken from the front)

How is it? Is it wonderful?

Reconstructed model of Rajomon (photo taken from diagonally to the right)

The front is about 80m wide including the fence, depth 21m, height 24m, and it is with a solid structure with a two-layer structure, and whose shibi, which decorates both ends of the tiled roof shines golden. This Rajomon represented the majesty of Heiankyo coloring the front entrance of Heiankyo. Ceremony to welcome foreign envoys and ceremonies of guardian nations are held here and it functioned as an official building.

It was called the place where the inside and outside of Rajomon capital come into contact and also the place to come into contact with another world where people encountered gods and demons. So, it is often told in the story that demons live in Rajomon, especially on its tower.

Dehehehehehe.

Monk with a prickly smile

Yeah~~, it’s my honor. Well, who was that? It was Mr. Yagawa or Akutagawa, oh, I recalled, it was Ryunosuke Akutagawa. That person wrote the story set in the gone to ruin Rajomon. A commoner who was kicked out by the master whom he was serving by being said “you are fired” stole hair from an old lady (demon?) who was pulling out the hair of the dirty corpse on the second floor of Rajomon and left having stripped off the clothing of the old lady in order to survive. “Your clothes… give them to me now.” “Don’t be foolish, this bastard!” Ga ~~ n! “Hi ~~ help.”

Well, so there are many anecdotes about Rajomon. It is the story of the past now, though. However, it might be that we have lived in this Rajomon as demons still now. If there is a strange old lady at the gate remains during the walking in midnight, it might be my mother. Rajomon is a makai spot where demons like us are there even now. It is your choice whether you believe it or not.

Hey ~~~ Hey Hey Hey Hey.

Reference information

  • “Kyoto world of spirits atlas” (published in 2015 by Takarajima sha)
  • “About Heiankyo and Rajomon” (From Internet site “Rajomon reconstruction support committee, cultural heritage platform”
  • “Call” (Same as the above)
  • URL of “Rajomon reconstruction support committee, cultural heritage platform”: http://tomorrows-kyoto.jp/rajomon/

Rajomon remains

  • Address: Kyoto prefecture Kyoto city Minami district Karahashi Rajomon town.
  • Business hours: free to see.
  • Regular holidays: no holiday.
  • Fees: free
  • Access:
    Public transportation: ride Kyoto City bus no.78, no.208, no.16 system from JR Kyoto Station, get off at Rajomon bus stop and walk 3 minutes or 10-minute walk from Kintetu Toji Station.
    By cars: 15-minute drive through national road 1 from Kyoto Minami IC of Meishin highway. (4.5km)
  • There is no parking.
  • There is the restoration model of Rajomon in Kyoto Station north exit square (you can see Kyoto tower in front of there.).

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