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| The Paper Thing... |
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| ...And The Real Thing. |
To create a worthy shrine for the shogun, 15,000 craftsman worked for two years, using 2.5 million sheets of gold leaf. The enshrinement of Ieyasu's spirit is reenacted twice each year in the Procession of the Thousand Warriors. Unlike most Shinto shrines, characterized by minimalist architecture that blends into its surroundings, Toshogu is a riot of color, gold, and carvings, with birds and flowers, dancing maidens, and sages following one another around the buildings. Some visitors find the shrine awe-inspiring and beautiful; others are repelled by the gaudiness. In contrast to the exuberance of the shrine, Ieyasu's mausoleum itself is relatively simple and austere.
One of the most famous elements of Toshogu is the Sacred Stable, where a white imperial horse is kept (a gift of New Zealand). The stable's fame derives from the original carving depicting the three wise monkeys, "Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil." Other famous carvings at Toshogu include a sleeping cat and an odd rendering of an elephant by an artist who had apparently never seen one. - sacred-destinations.com
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| More than 5000 elaborately decorated wooden carvings and a large amount of gold leaf were used to decorate the architecture in a way never seen in other shrines in Japan. |
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| Frontal View Of The Paper Model |
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| Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil |
A outra escultura que causa sensação é a Nemurineko, a que mostra um gato dormindo. Ela fica no portal da escadaria de acesso ao túmulo de Ieyasu e também simboliza o estado de paz, a ponto de o bichano poder tirar uma soneca tranquilo, recebendo a luz do sol.
Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616) quis que o seu corpo ficasse no templo Kunoo-San Toshogu, em Shizuoka, no primeiro ano após a sua morte e depois fosse transferido para Nikko. O filho e sucessor Hidetada fez cumprir a sua vontade, criando o templo xintoísta Nikko Toshogu, em 1617, para venerá-lo como uma divindade. Durante o governo do terceiro xogum, o neto Iemitsu, os principais prédios do santuário foram construídos, e inaugurados no ano de 1636. - curtindoojapao.com
Link: Nikko.Toshogu.Shrine.by.Canon.Santuário.Japonês
More Japanese Architecture and Buildings related posts:
Japanese House - by Yoshinaka - Casa Japonesa
209 Japanese Lighthouses - by Tokokai.Org - 209 Faróis Japoneses
Japanese Classic Building - by Akafuku - Construção Clássica Japonesa
Old Japanese Village - via Paper Modelers Forum - Velha Vila Japonesa
