Kenrei Gate (建礼門)

The Kenrei-mon Gate is one of the outside gates in the Imperial Palace.

Summary
The Kenrei-mon Gate is located in south front of the Imperial Palace and opposite side of the Jomei Gate. The walls are stretched 39 ken (about 70 m) both east and west, and the Shunka-mon gate and the Shumei-mon gate are placed at the ends with guardhouses on both east and west sides of the gates, and the guards of Hyoefu (Headquarters of the Middle Palace Guards) kept guarding them using torchlight.

Since the Hakuba no sechi e (seasonal court banquets) took place in front of this gate, it is also called 'Aouma no jin,' and 'Nantan-mon gate' (南端門) as it is located on the south side of the Palace, and '外門' as it is at the outer wall, and also '南面僻杖中門.'

The gate is Yotsuashi-mon Gate (four-legged gate) with hiwadabuki (cypress bark roof) and kakubashira (a corner post or pillar that is square or rectangular).

The southern main gate of the Kyoto Imperial Palace is the Kenrei Gate.

[Original Japanese]