Torii Comparison: Reduced to Just Two Pillars and One Crossbeam

A side-by-side comparison of a paifang and a torii. On the left is a Chinese paifang: multiple bays, layered roofs, dense dougong brackets, intricate carvings and paintings, and an inscribed plaque, with hundreds of components. On the right is a Japanese torii: only two round columns, one gently upward-curving kasagi (lintel), and one penetrating nuki (tie-beam), totaling fewer than five components; the material is wood painted vermilion or unpainted natural wood; there is no roof, no dougong, no carvings, no text. Both have the same function—marking a non-physical gateway for domain transition—but one relies on addition, the other on subtraction. Their scales are similar for comparison.
Avoid: Adding a roof and decorations to the torii, simplifying the paifang, making the scale difference between the two too large, adding physical door panels.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一座牌樓與一座鳥居的並置對照。左側是中式牌樓:多個開間、層疊的屋頂、密集的斗栱、繁複的雕刻與彩繪、匾額上有字,構件數以百計。右側是日本的鳥居:只有兩根圓柱、一道向上微彎的笠木與一道貫穿的貫木,總共不到五個構件;材料是塗成朱紅的木或未上漆的原木;沒有屋頂、沒有斗栱、沒有雕刻、沒有文字。兩者的功能相同——都是標示領域轉換的非實體之門,但一個靠加法、一個靠減法。兩者的尺度相近以便比較。避免:讓鳥居加上屋頂與裝飾、讓牌樓簡化、把兩者的尺度差距做得過大、加入實體的門扇。