A Torii is an impressive gateway of a Shinto shrine. A Torii stands at the entrance path of a Shinto shine or at the entrance of the shrine grounds. It represents the borderline between the holy grounds and the secular world. There is definitely something special about these gateways. It's as if the spirits have set up a secret door through which one must cross to enter the spiritual world. The word Tori means 'birds' in the Japanese language and there are various theories about the origin of the naming of the torii. According to the Kojiki, a book of ancient mythologies, the origin of the torii comes from "the tree upon which a bird rested" .