Proposal:Man made=ceremonial gate
| Ceremonial Gate | |
|---|---|
| Proposal status: | Proposed (under way) |
| Proposed by: | Daishu10000 |
| Tagging: | man_made=ceremonial_gate
|
| Statistics: |
|
| Draft started: | 2025-05-29 |
| RFC start: | 2025-05-29 |
Proposal
Introduce a new value for the key man_made=*: man_made=ceremonial_gate, to represent traditional symbolic gates in East Asian cultural regions. These include:
- Chinese paifang (牌坊) / pailou (牌楼)
- Japanese torii (鳥居)
- Korean hongsalmun (紅箭門) / iljumun (一柱門)
- Vietnamese tam quan (三關門)
These gates:
- Have the shape of a gate but do not have door panels
- Are not attached to adjacent buildings
- Do not obstruct passage — they are symbolic, not functional barriers
- Have religious, cultural, or commemorative significance
Rationale
Many historical and symbolic gates in East Asia serve ceremonial, cultural, and often religious functions. These structures typically mark a transition between secular and sacred spaces, commemorate individuals or events, or symbolize virtues. They are:
- Not ordinary access-control gates (barrier=gate)
- Not generic monuments (historic=monument)
Currently, these structures are inconsistently tagged:
- man_made=paifang (600+ uses)
- man_made=pailou (7 uses)
- man_made=torii (10,000+ uses)
- man_made=hongsalmun (37 uses)
- man_made=iljumun (5 uses)
This proposal aims to standardize their tagging under a common, culturally sensitive and historically appropriate value.
Although this proposal was originally intended to use historic=ceremonial_gate, it was later changed to man_made=ceremonial_gate. The reason is that not all such structures are historical in nature — many are modern constructions that continue traditional styles or serve ceremonial purposes today. Using man_made=* allows both historical and contemporary examples to be tagged consistently, without implying that all are heritage sites.
Broader Applicability
While the initial focus is on East Asian traditions, ceremonial gates also exist in other cultures. User @adreamy has further clarified the concept:
A ceremonial gate is not an ordinary gate (barrier=gate), not just a monument (historic=monument), and due to its cultural and symbolic function, should not be treated as a generic man_made=* object. Its core characteristics are:
- Serves as a symbolic threshold, often marking a transition into a sacred or significant space
- Has a gate-like, non-architectural form (not a full building), often freestanding and open
- Lacks utilitarian function (not for dwelling, storage, or access control)
- Originates from cultural or religious contexts—even if constructed in modern times
Examples beyond East Asia include:
- India’s Torana
- Thailand’s Giant Swing
- Bali’s Candi Bentar
- Mesoamerican Gate of the Sun
- Yoruba sacred grove entrances
- Some interpretations of Lychgates in the UK
Structures like South Indian Gopuram, Islamic Bab, and European triumphal arches are not included due to their architectural, functional, or commemorative nature.
Tagging
- man_made=ceremonial_gate
- Recommended:
- ceremonial_gate=* — to specify local tradition or style:
- ceremonial_gate=paifang (China)
- ceremonial_gate=torii (Japan)
- ceremonial_gate=hongsalmun (Korea)
- ceremonial_gate=tam_quan (Vietnam)
- name=*
- religion=* (if applicable)
- material=* (e.g., stone, wood)
- heritage=* or heritage:operator=*
Rendering
Rendering suggestions may be considered by cartographic projects such as openstreetmap-carto, potentially with unique symbols for different ceremonial_gate=*.
See also
- Tag:historic=monument
- Tag:man_made=torii
- Tag:man_made=paifang
- Tag:man_made=hongsalmun
- Tag:man_made=iljumun
Discussion
Please use the talk page. (The preliminary discussions are taking place in the official community (here).)