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The grand shrine at Nikko, the Toshogu, was built for Tokugawa Ieyasu after his death in 1616. Ieyasu left behind detailed instructions for his shrine which were, for the most part, carried out by his nephew Iemitsu in the 1630s. This site contains about 30 buildings, while the entire Nikko site contains many more, including the Taiyuin which Iemitsu had built as a mausoleum for himself in 1653. The Toshogu Shrine is most notable for its unique styling, which many would say is Chinese in its scale and appearance. However, this was really a baroque version of the architecture of the Momoyama Period (1573-1598) which was known for its elaborate detail. Certainly, no one would dispute that this style was heavily influenced by China, although it is believed that few of the designers of the Toshogu ever had the opportunity to witness Chinese architecture first-hand. Construction of the Toshogu was quite a feat in itself, for it took over 15,000 of Japan’s finest artists and craftsmen to complete it. It is said that nearly 2.5 million sheets of gold leaf were using in gilding various parts of the site, enough to cover six acres of land. |
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