Sep.16th, 2021
What is a "Sandō"?
A "sandō ("参道")" is an approach path to a shrine or a temple.
Generally, there are one or more Torīs on the sandō, and a chōzuya, for visitors to purify themselves before proceeding to the main shrine, along the sandō of a shrine. In some shrines. there are gates, light towers and komainu along the sandō. Since in most shrines, the main shrine is at the innermost of the shrine precinct, most facilities of the shrine, such as a kaguraden, keidaishas or a shrine office, are often built along the sandō.
In many shrines, it is said that the center of the sandō, called the "Seichū ("正中")", is where the god passes through, and it is not good to walk on the center. Whether visitors should walk on the left side or the right side differs with different shrines.
If there is a difference of elevation between the entrance of the shrine and the main shrine, in most shrines the main shrine is higher, and the sandō is an upward slope. But in some shrines, the main shrine is located lower in elevation, than the shrine entrance. Such shrines, with an sandō of a downward slope, are called "Kudarimiya ("下り宮")", and the sandō may be called "Kudarisandō ("下り参道")".
At most shrines, only the path from the entrance of the shrine to the main shrine is called a "sandō". But since in old times, major shrines had vast territorial areas, the road extending from the shrine may also be called a "sandō". And even if it is not the case, roads leading to the shrine from a major road or a city are sometimes called a "sandō". A sandō within the shrine precinct is typically paved with stone or gravel, but a sandō extending outside the shrine may be in various styles. Many are just like an ordinary roadway, but some such as a sandō of a shrine located on a mountain, a sandō may be a mountain trail.
