Among the many temples of the holy city of Nikko, Tosho-gu is recognised as the finest example of architectural virtuosity and freedom of expression in ornamentation. The 18C builders, aided by 15 000 craftsmen, excelled themselves. The five-storey p..

After crossing the Daya River on the back of intertwined snakes, Shodo Shonin fainted upon seeing the remarkable natural beauty of this spot. He founded Rinno-ji shrine here in order to house Kannon. All this happened 12 centuries ago. The temple has..

This mausoleum is coupled with a Buddhist temple and a forest of wild cedars protects the whole complex. Taiyu-in houses the body of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the grandson of the first shogun. A shaded path marked out with lanterns leads to the m..

The abbot of Choyokaku brought in the very best artists to complete what was then the administrative office of Toshu-gu in 1928. Talented artists such as Nakamura, Gakuryo, Katayama Nanpu and Arai Kanpo came to work under the aegis of Yokoyama Taika..

Founded in 782 by the priest Shodo Shonin, Futarasan-jinja shrine was rebuilt in 1610. It has a very fine Momoyama-style Hon-den (central pavilion – 1619). Dedicated to Okuninushi no Mikoto, one of the divine founders of Shinto, the shrine also ven..

The Imperial Villa of Tamozawa, the imperial family's summer residence, was built around the first residence of the Tokugawa Kishu clan, which was imported from Edo in 1872. In a feat of technical prowess, its 106 rooms connected to each other by cor..