This torii is the largest wooden myojin style torii of its kind in Japan, standing 12 meters tall and 17.1 meters wide. Each pillar is 1.2 meters in diameter, and together the two pillars weigh 13 metric tons. The torii is built in the same style as the first torii at the southern entrance, with curved upper lintels. It is located at the intersection of the northern and southern approaches to the main shrine, and is also known as the ootorii or ‘large torii’. This torii has come to symbolize Meiji Jingu for many because of its impressive size.
The original ootorii was built in 1920 from a 1,200-year-old Japanese cypress from the Alishan Mountain Range in Taiwan. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by lightning in 1966. The current ootorii was made from a 1,500-year-old Japanese cypress.
The tree that provided the wood for this torii was found on a hillside on the Danda Mountain in Taiwan by a Tokyo-based timber merchant. The merchant had vowed to help rebuild the torii after the original was destroyed by lightning in 1966, in order to thank the kami for protecting his business. Since no tree of the right size could be found in Japan, he visited Taiwan many times in search of just the right tree. With considerable help from many people, the tree was finally cut down and transported to Meiji Jingu. The new torii was completed on December 23, 1975.
