Entrance of Toshogu Nikko, Japan

Category

Library Item

Item no

16628

Title

Entrance of Toshogu Nikko, Japan

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1912

Size

9.0 x 14.0 cm

Type

Photograph; Postcard

Location

Art and Design Library

Nikko is a famous tourist site, located to the north of Edo. A monk called Shodo founded a shrine on the mountain in the 8th century. Since then, Nikko has been worshipped as a sacred place. In the 17th century, the Tosho-gu shrine was dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, Nikko developed as a post-station town with a hot spring. The Tosho-gu shrine was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and many tourists, including foreigners, visit Nikko every year.

Tosho-gu is a Shinto shrine and was built as a mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was the first Shogun, the supreme military commander of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It was built by his son, Hidetada (the second Shogun) in 1617. Ieyasu was entombed and deified here. His grandson, Iemitsu (the third Shogun) enlarged the buildings in 1636. The buildings were lacquered or painted colourfully and many sculptures were carved on the buildings and pillars, conveying Yin-yang philosophical ideas.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Torii

Places > Asia > Japan

Plants > Trees

Religion > Religious facilities > Shinto shrines