There are mythical kirin, somewhat like giraffe-horses, dragons, tigers, and innumerable geometric patterns. Two dragons dance on the ceiling, one ascending and one descending. Yomei-mon was considered so magnificent that one of the main columns was carved upside down so that the gods themselves would not become jealous. The main structure is flanked by lesser buildings and fences running east-west for over 200 meters. The symphony goes on.
Visitors stand on a marked spot and clap their hands.
The reverberating sound produced, heavily spiced with imagination and wishful thinking, sounds like a weeping dragon. The original drawing by Yasunobu Kano was destroyed in a roof fire in 1961. The present one, crafted by Nampu Katayama, dates from 1968. Over the front portal is Tsutsuga, a bronze figure of a mystical animal that protects all buildings. Here again, dragons cling to the pillars and flowers adorn the panels.