Zojoji

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Moved to what is now known as Shiba Koen by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Zojoji was the preeminent Buddhist temple in an area containing many.  It was located near a major thoroughfare, the Tokaido, the East Sea Road to Kyoto, and was thus visited by monks, pilgrims, and travelers.  The mausoleums of the Tokugawa Shoguns flank each side of the Zojoji.  Hoping to usurp influence from the Buddhist temples, the rulers of Meiji Japan turned the the Shiba area into a “public garden.” (The Japanese word “koen” means park).   

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