Sandō

{{hatnote|Not to be confused with "Shendao" the same concept in Chinese architecture}}{{Short description|Road approaching either a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple}}

{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}

File:Hushimi-inari-taisha omotesando.jpg in Kyoto]]

A {{Nihongo|sandō|参道||visiting path}} in Japanese architecture is the road approaching either a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple.Iwanami {{nihongo|Kōjien|広辞苑}} Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version. Its point of origin is usually straddled in the first case by a Shinto torii, in the second by a Buddhist sanmon, gates which mark the beginning of the shrine's or temple territory. The word {{Nihongo4||道|dō}} can refer both to a path or road, and to the path of one's life's efforts.See, Karatedo. c.f. Taoism 道 There can also be stone lanterns and other decorations at any point along its course.

A sandō can be called a {{nihongo4|front sandō|表参道|omote-sandō}}, if it is the main entrance, or a {{nihongo4|rear sandō|裏参道|ura-sandō}} if it is a secondary point of entrance, especially to the rear; {{nihongo4|side sandō|脇参道|waki-sandō}} are also sometimes found. The famous Omotesandō district in Tokyo, for example, takes its name from the nearby main access path to Meiji Shrine where an ura-sandō also used to exist. {{cite web|url=http://news.ameba.jp/special/2008/10/18907.html |title=Omotesandō ga aru nara, Urasandō mo aru no de wa |publisher=Ameba News |language=ja |access-date=4 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719173749/http://news.ameba.jp/special/2008/10/18907.html |archive-date=July 19, 2009 }}