|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Japan -> Nikko -> Tosho-gu Shrine Tosho-gu Shrine Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture When Tokugawa Ieyasu chose Nikko as the location for his mausoleum, it was originally supposed to be a modest structure. But when his grandson, Iemitsu, began building the Tosho-gu Shrine in 1634 he wanted to create a building that was equal to his grandfather's stature. He commissioned some 15,000 craftsmen, some of them the finest in the land, to work on the mausoleum, which today would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. He used 2.5 million sheets of gold leaf on the buildings. The over-the-top carvings and decorations almost distract from the intricate detail work of the complex. On the grounds you will also see a five-story pagoda, drum tower, Yomeimon (Gate of Sunlight), and the Toshu-gu Homotsukan Treasure House that contains Tokugawa historical items. |
|
|
||||||||||