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Should a torii arch face a particular compass direction?

April 26, 2017Arch compass culture direction Face particular Religion Society spirituality torii

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Should a torii arch face a particular compass direction?

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The torii arches in Japan are commonly facing the east or the south. The reasons are as follows: It is the direction where the sun rises. For Shintoism(=the Japanese indigenous religion), east is the important direction where the Sun Goddess(=’Amaterasu oomikami) comes. And the rising sun also symbolizes ‘BIRTH’, which is believed to be the most sacred thing in Shintoism. In ancient China, “being in the north and heading for the south” has been the symbol of worshiping the Emperor’s status, and south has been the important direction for Chinese people. Since Japan has influenced a lot by China, south has become the important direction as well. There is no rule to ban you to build a torii arch facing the north or the west, but the east or the south would be better.