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Nio-mon: Philly's Japanese Temple Gate |
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Wednesday, 27 September 2006 |
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Did you know that Philadelphia once had its very own Japanese Temple Gate? From 1905 - 1955, the present site of the Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park was occupied by a gate which served as the main entrance to the temple of Seionji in the village of Furumachi, Hitachi province. The gate was originally commissioned in 1344 by Satake Yoshiatsu, restored in 1600, then exported from Japan to Louisiana as part of the Official Japanese Empire Exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. After the exhibit, the gate was purchased by two Philadelphians and donated to Fairmount Park.
Tragically, the gate was destroyed by fire in 1955. However, its
popularity was the inspiration for the relocation to Philadelphia in
1956 of the Japanese House and Garden after its exhibition in the
Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Interested in learning more about Nio-mon and Philadelphia's unique relationship with Japan? Phila-Nipponica: An Historic Guide to Philadelphia & Japan, a bi-lingual collection of articles on the Japan-Philly connection published by the JASGP, is available for purchase in our online store!
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