Azuma Kagami, the official history of the Kamakura Shogunate, lists a two-story great gate leading into Motsuji. The 12 foundation stones remain undisturbed, revealing the gate's three-bay (lateral, or east-west) by two bay (north-south) layout. From ancient times in both Japan and China, poling boards were driven vertically into the earth to support the sides of pits excavated for building foundations and earthworks. However, the discovery here and across the pond at the Lecture Hall site of not just the boards but also the posts holding them together was a first. The remains of a fence, gutter, and the strip of land between them were discovered extending from the east of the gate. The base of the fence was more than 3m wide, the gutter about 1.8m, and the strip of land between them more than 2.4m across. This suggests a fence of about 3m, which would have been quite imposing. If we suppose that these were part of the original construction here, that would mean that this area was constructed on the same model and a similar scale as the roads and fences around the palace in Kyoto. Excavations in the capital area have yet to turn up a complete triumvirate combination of fence, land, and gutter, and the enormous size of those at Motsuji is indicative of this temple's unusual nature.