The University of Tokyo Akamon

Akamon is a red gate located at the University of Tokyo’s Hongo Campus. Although there are historical structures everywhere inside this campus, Akamon is known as a symbol of the University.
This gate was built in 1827 to welcome Yohime, a daughter of the 11th Shogun, Tokugawa Ienari, as the legal wife of Maeda Nariyasu, the 13th lord of the Kaga Clan.
At the time, it was customary not to rebuild red gates when they were burned down, so this one is a treasure because it is the only existing one to have avoided disaster.
In 1877, control of the property was transferred to the University of Tokyo. Akamon is now designated an Important Cultural Asset by the Japanese government.