Daimon (Great Gate) is the main gate of Koyasan Kongobuji Temple, the headquarters of the Shingon sect. At the time when the temple was established, the main entrance was a torii (shrine gate) located in a place called “Tsuzuraoredani” about 500 m below. Daimon was constructed in 1141, but burned down twice. The present gate was the one restored in 1705.
This red-lacquered great gate is said to be the masterwork of the Edo architecture. The two Kongo-Rikishi (guarding warriors) statues carved by master Buddhist sculptors in the Edo period are designated as National Important Cultural Properties; the deity Agyo was carved by Koi and the deity Ungyo by Uncho. They are the second largest Kongo-Rikishi statues after the ones at Nandaimon of Todaiji Temple.
You can command a wide view of the Seto Inland Sea from the gate on a fine day.