What is a Torii Gate?

A Torii Gate is literally a "place where birds rest". You see them, large and small, all over Japan at the entrances to Shinto shrines, and they can be made of stone, iron, or wood, sometimes painted red. The photos in this lens were taken during a tour of Japan in September 2007, and include Torii Gates in and around Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Nikko, Kyoto and Hiroshima

What is Shinto?

Shinto is the Japanese devotion to invisible spiritual beings and powers called kami, to shrines, and to various rituals. However, Shinto is not a way of explaining the world, has rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami, which are not gods, but are spirits that are concerned with human beings, and, if they are treated properly, they will intervene in our lives to bring benefits like health, business success, and good exam results.
Shinto is a very local religion, in which devotees are likely to be concerned with their local shrine rather than the religion as a whole, so many Japanese will have a tiny shrine in their own homes. Because ritual rather than belief is at the heart of Shinto, Japanese people don't usually think of Shinto specifically as a religion, but simply an aspect of Japanese life, which has enabled Shinto to coexist happily with Buddhism for centuries.

Large Torii Gates

Nikko: large stone Torii Gate

Meiji Shrine, Tokyo: large wooden Torii Gate

Lake Chuzenji, near Nikko: large wooden Torii Gate

Miyajima Island, near Hiroshima: shrine and floating Torii Gate at high tide