Unique Torii Gate for Your Beautiful Garden

Posted on August 10, 2026 by David Wilson

Torii gate overview

The torii gate is a traditional Japanese portal that marks the boundary between the everyday world and sacred Shinto shrine grounds..

It symbolises you are entering a holy place for kami (natural spirits or Gods).

They generally consist of two vertical pillars and two top cross beams. They are often painted bright vermilion.

In Shinto and Buddhist traditions, the colour vermilion represents the power of fire and the sun. Additionally, it’s believed to repel evil spirits, bad luck, and disease. Moreover, before passing through the torii gate, visitors traditionally bow once.

In the first instance I made the torii gate top cross beam hollow to reduce the overall weight.

I then cut the two side panels to shape using 150x40mm planks. Additionally, we used 9mm plywood to cover the top and bottom. Clamps held everything together until the glue dried.

Fitting the sub cross beam for a torii gate

I fitted the lower cross beam side panels to the main crossbeam.

Next, I glued the assembly under the top beam.

Gluing and clamping the torri gate top cross beam assembly

I attached the lower cross beam to the main crossbeam by clamping it in position under the top cross beam with glue

I then began cutting the support poles for the torii gate.

The completed top cross beam.

For simplicity, the assembly will slot down onto the support poles through the two holes in the bottom.

assembling on the ground to test part fitting

Here I’ve assembled the now undercoated top cross member with the support poles.

A rebate cut in the poles allowed the lower cross member to slide through.

Side view of top cross beam showing layout

For clarity, I’ve included this detailed side view of the torii gate to show how all the elements fit together.

Concreting torii gate support posts into the ground

Eventually, after painting the torii gate parts vermillion (Dulux Olga Sands), I set up support posts ready for concreting into position in the garden.

Following tradition, I painted the top cross member and the lower post sections black, torii gate style. Additionally, we positioned two small Chinese lions on either side.

How to Craft Stunning Oriental Style Ceramic Finials

Posted on August 9, 2026 by David Wilson

Outdoor finial material considerations

These fantastic oriental style ceramic finials I made for a Japanese bridge in the garden. In 2014 I made plaster pieces, but they were unsatisfactory. What material would endure outdoors for these ornaments?

Recently, after a trip to Japan, I realized that if I could make the finials using ceramics instead of another material they would basically last forever. The following photos show the process I followed to make the Japanese finial.

Description of mould Making Process

Firstly I designed the oriental style finial in CAD from which a 3D printer STL file was saved. After printing the STL file I had a 3D model from which I could make the plaster mould. The mould was made using plaster of Paris in four sections.

Once the mould was finished it was assembled and had porcelain slip poured in. After about half an hour the plaster absorbed some moisture from the slip causing it to set and shrink slightly. The remaining slip was then poured from the mould leaving a 3mm shell inside. The mould was carefully disassembled and the greenware finial was removed. This process was repeated twelve times.

After cleaning up the greenware they were bisqued in the kiln to 980 degrees. The following day, after cooling down, they were glazed with Iron Lustre, Vintage Gold and Art Deco Green. They were then fired to 1220 degrees. The finish was spectacular. They looked fantastic.

The finials were then attached to the Japanese bridge as shown in this post.

Photos of the mould making process

Here the 3D printed model of the oriental finial has been divided into four quadrants and flanges with alignment keys have been set on one quadrant.

This process was repeated for the other three quadrants.

This photo shows the completed four plaster mould sections. These will now be joined together in preparation for casting.

Here the porcelain slip has been poured into the mould. It is just slightly overfilled. After about 20 minutes the level drops slightly as the plaster absorbs the water from the slip. Just top it up a bit to get it full again.

After the slip is poured from the mould you are left with the shell of the finial inside. It shrinks slightly due to the water absorption but this makes it very easy to remove.

The process was repeated twelve times.

Here the first mould section has been removed revealing the casting of the finial. The other sections are carefully separated and the greenware finial is removed from the mould.

Here are the twelve finials awaiting cleaning up before being bisqued.

After bisque the finials are glazed prior to final firing.

After being fired to 1220 degrees the finials have come out of the kiln looking brilliant!

When the finials were cast in the mould there was a little shrinkage as the water evaporated from the slip. Again, after the bisque firing they shrank a little more. There was even more shrinkage after the final firing. Doing a rough calculation comparing the original 3D printed model to the completed ceramic finial there was about a 15% shrinkage as shown in the photo below.

*Comparison of completed finial with original*

Japanese Bridge

Posted on August 9, 2026 by David Wilson

This Japanese bridge was constructed from timber. The arch was built using the same technique as the large Japanese bridge that was built in February 2014. This bridge makes a striking decorative addition to a terraced rock garden. It blends with the Japanese/Chinese theme of the landscaping.

The primary difference with this bridge is that the bespoke finials were made from ceramics. The earlier bridge used plaster of Paris for the finials and unfortunately these deteriorated and had to be replaced with steel caps. Being exposed to the weather over several months destroyed the plaster. The new ceramic versions on this bridge will be much more tough and won’t be affected by changes in the weather over time.

Ceramic Finials

A detailed description of the manufacture of the ceramic fiinials can be found on this post. They are attached to the bridge posts using silicone sealer.