Two
hours north of Tokyo in Nikko
is one of the
greatest mausoleums in the world, the Toshogu Shrine - a monument to a great Japanese
hero. Ieyasu Tokugawa is the name of the Shogun made famous in the west as the
warrior ruler, Toranaga in
James Clavell's novel, "Shogun". Ieyasu
united
the country after decades of civil war and made great contributions to the
foundation of peace and culture of
modern Japan. He died in 1616 and his son
built the shrine to venerate his father.
The shrine is quite unlike any other in Japan. It consists of many wooden buildings, gorgeously decorated with colored and ornate carvings, each more interesting than the next. It took only 17 months to construct but required almost 5 million workmen, an almost incomprehensible task, which is estimated to have cost $400M in today’s terms. Nothing can prepare one for the splendor of this combined Shinto and Buddhist shrine. Truly one of the great architectural wonders of the world.
The story of life as told by monkeys (including the
original and famous 3 wise
monkeys seen here) is set high on a stable that is part of the complex.
Both the inside and outside of the buildings are ornate beyond description with carved, gilded and colorful dragons, flowers, pillars, roofs, birds and so on, overpowering our senses wherever we look.
The shrine's setting among 400-year old cedar trees gives one a sense of the enormous power this man held. He stopped centuries of warfare by taking unto himself the country's military leadership, but left the Emperor, who was considered divine, in place.
Tokugawa’s tomb is set high on the hill up a flight of 207 carved stone steps . In his day, only only shoguns could approach the tomb to commune with their founding father. The tomb is surrounded by 300-year old cedars. The whole feeling is positively awesome. There is an overwhelming but very simple sense of power and space. Ieyasu Tokugawa must be smiling down on the nation he created and pleased with how he is remembered.
Carved Statue Intricate Roof Carving Carving Carved Gate Tokugawa Tomb General View