2019 Tochigi Vacation (Day 4)

The breakfast is yet another great feast of local ingredients, and included also Natto, the traditional Japanese food made from soy beans that have been fermented with a special bacteria. Although not smelling good, it is a very healthy food and the one we had actually came from nearby farms.

Checking out we drove to Nikko Toshogu 日光東照宮. It is the shrine built to worship the first generation of Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康. Ieyasu is born in Dec 1542 December at the Okazaki Castle in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture.

He has struggled since childhood and is determined to end the warring era. He had established the Makuhari system 幕藩体制. With the resumption of order and the system to organize, promoting the industry and education, he laid the foundation of peace and culture for 260 years in the Edo period.

In 1616, Ieyasu died at the age of 75, at the Gonfu Castle 駿府城 in Shizuoka, and was buried in Kunosan 久能山. Based on his will one year later, his body was moved from Kunosan to the present place. The second generation Shogun Hidetada 秀忠 then started the construction of Toshogu.

The main structure of the present shrine is the one rebuilt in 1636 by the third generation Shogun Ikeiko 家光. Covering 55 buildings, the total investment to construct the shrine is mind-blowing, basically engaging all the best craftsmen during the time. It is now a recognized as an UNESCO site.

Almost all of the present-day shrine complex was rebuilt in 1636, twenty years after Tokugawa Ieyasu’s enshrinement. Fifty-five buildings, including Yomeimon Gate 陽明門 (designated a National Treasure), were completed in just one year and five months.

According to the shrine’s financial records, the cost was equivalent to ¥40 billion in today’s money. The renovation project was administered by Akimoto Yasutomo, the governor of Tajima Province, and the actual construction and carpentry work was under master carpenter Kora Bungo Munehiro.

One of the special features of the shrine complex is the use of paths and stairways that follow the natural topography of the site, allowing the arrangement of the shrine buildings in a pleasing balance to create a solemn, religious atmosphere.

The buildings are lacquered and decorated with vibrant colors, and the pillars and other structures are covered in a multitude of carvings. The carvings are not simply design elements; they convey expressions of religious belief as well as scholarship and philosophy.

The shrine complex was registered as a World Heritage site in December 1999.

Ishidorii (石鳥居) was dedicated in 1618 by Kuroda Nagamasa, the feudal lord of Kyushu Chikuzen (present day Fukuoka Prefecture). The stone for the gate was transported by ship from Kyushu to Koyama and then manually hauled over land to Nikko.

Gojunoto (五重塔) was dedicated in 1648 by Sakai Tadakatsu, the feudal lord of Obama in Wakasa Province (present day Fukui Prefecture). It was destroyed by fire in 1815 and rebuilt in 1818 by Sakai Tadayuki, a feudal lord of the same lineage.

Omotemon (表門) is the first gate at Toshogu Shrine. It is also called Nio Gate because of the two guardian deity statues positioned on the left and right.

Sanjinko (三神庫) is the collective designation for three buildings: Kamijinko (Upper Sacred Storehouse), Nakajinko (Middle Sacred Storehouse), and Shimojinko (Lower Sacred Storehouse). Harnesses and costumes used in the Procession of 1,000 Samurai, (a part of the Sacred Processions held in spring and fall), are kept in the storehouses. Large elephant carvings by Kano Tanyu adorn the gable of Kamijinko Storehouse. They are known as the “Imaginary Elephants.”

Shinkyusha (神厩舎) is the former a stable for the shrine’s sacred horses. There is a frieze of eight panels of carvings of monkeys running around the building, depicting the lives of ordinary people. Monkeys have been regarded as guardians of horses since ancient times. The “See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil” carving of three monkeys (三猿) is particularly famous.

Omizuya (御水舎) is the building with the water bath to purify body and mind by washing one’s hands and rinsing out one’s mouth before worshiping the enshrined deity. The basin was dedicated in 1618 by Nabeshima Katsushige, feudal lord of Kyushu-Saga.

Yomeimon Gate (陽明門) is a National Treasure, one of the most beautiful gates in Japan. It is said to have been given the name “Main Gate of the Imperial Court.” It is also called “Gate of the Setting Sun” because one could gaze upon it all day and never tire. It is covered with over 500 carvings depicting traditional anecdotes, children playing, sages and wise men.

Kairo (廻廊) is the exterior wall of the building extending to the left and right of Yomeimon Gate, decorated with flower and bird carvings that are considered among the best in Japan. All the carvings are single-panel openwork painted in vivid colors.

Karamon Gate (唐門) is painted with a white powder chalk, featuring intricate carvings of Kyoyu and Soho (legendary Chinese sages), an audience with the emperor, and other scenes.

Gohonsha (御本社) is another National Treasure, with the Main Shrine consisting of the Honden (Main Hall), Ishinoma (Stone Chamber), and Haiden (Worship Hall). It is the most important area at Toshogu Shrine. Annual festivals and events are conducted here. Haiden Hall is flanked by the Shogun Chakuzanoma (Shogun’s Chamber) and Hosshinno Chakuzanoma (Prince’s Chamber).

Shinyosha (神輿舎) houses the three portable shrines used in the Sacred Processions conducted in spring and fall (May 18 and October 17), while Kitoden (祈祷殿) is used to host weddings, rituals for new-born babies, and other ceremonies.

Nemurineko (眠り猫) was traditionally attributed to the master carver Hidari Jingorou. This carving of a cat dozing while surrounded by peonies and bathed in sunlight is also said to be a depiction of nikko (sunlight).

Okumiya (奥宮) is the tomb of the enshrined deity. It consists of the Haiden (Worship Hall), Inukimon Gate, and Gohoto (Two-Story Pagoda).

Then we walked to the nearby Meiji-no-Yakata西洋料理 明治の館 for lunch. It is a restaurant originally built as a Western style cottage for American trading merchant F.W. Horn, who introduced the first electric gramophone to Japan.

There was a long queue waiting for lunch and we duly lined up. After about 45 minutes, we were admitted. When opening the entrance door, we were impressed by the elegance of the sophisticated space where the Westernization movement in Japan unfolded during the Meiji era.

We ordered the Chef’s Recommendation Full Course Menu which got a truly wonderful range of dishes. Probably too much for lunch, the menu includes hors d’oeuvre, soup, fish, salad, meat, dessert and coffee. The food was fantastic and even though it might not be as fancy as some of the Michelin restaurants in terms of quality and taste it is nothing inferior. 

We then walked to 輪王寺 and continue our tour. It is Nikko's most important temple. Founded by Shodo Shonin (勝道上人), the Buddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to Nikko in the 8th century. The temple's main building, 三仏堂, houses large, gold lacquered, wooden statues of 千手観音,阿弥陀如来,馬頭観音.

The three deities are regarded as Buddhist manifestations of Nikko's three mountain deities which are enshrined at Futarasan Shrine. A decade-long renovation of the temple was completed in spring 2019. We also started to collect the shuin (朱印), a seal for worshippers visiting the temple from this visit.

Next we proceeded to Nikko Futarasan Jinja日光二荒山神社. The shrine deifies Mt. Futarasan, the most symbolized mountain in Nikko, as its object of worship, as well as a guardian of the place. It covers 3,400ha including the mountains of the Nikko National Park.

There are the main hall and front shrine, the single-layer Irimoya-zukuri-roofed architectures registered as World Heritage, as well as shinen (shrine gardens), that spring water gushes out. It is also famous for answering to prayers of those who seek good luck, pregnancy, smooth delivery of babies, and marriage.

Coming to the ryokan we are staying for the night, Kai Nikko 界 日光. Located on the side of Lake Chuzenji 中禅寺湖, there are 33 rooms altogether, with many of them having a good view of the lake and Mt. Nantai 男体山. The room we booked is the Kai Signature Room 鹿沼組子の間.

Apart from the amazing lake view, the room has furnishings featuring kanuma kumiko 鹿沼組子, a regional style of wood ornaments. There is a kit in the room allowing us to try to assemble that on our own.

The luxurious bath "Shiraito" 白糸, which is opened for male and female at different session, has a thick wooden bath made of cedar, and you can feel the warmth of the wood. The heat retention effect is phenomenal, offering a truly relaxing experience.

The Nikko Geta Show: In the past, one could only enter shrines or temples while wearing straw sandals. However, a special exception was made for Nikko geta 日光下駄 as they made the trek easier in the Nikko region--a rocky, hilly area that receives a lot of snow in colder months.

For dinner, we have the special steamed beef with an original bowl made of "Oyaishi" which is collected in Tochigi Prefecture. It is an article that the original sweetness and taste of the dish is intense.