1000 Samurai in Nikko

This is the 1000 Samurai Festival from Nikko, Japan in 2004. It celebrates the great processions of samurai and daimyo to pay homage to the great Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu at his mausoleum at Toshogu in Nikko. Funny to see samurai wearing glasses and smiling. Very fun festival. I highly recommend it.

Japan Trip update

This is just a brief update of my current trip to Japan, my third in the last 6 months. When I return to the States I will post some photos.

On Sunday I went to Nikko with my family and visited some of ｍy wife's relatives. In Nikko we took our children to a local park with a playground. In spite of the cloudy and relatively cold weather, the park was crowded with children.

Today the weather was clear and warm and so we visited the Tochigi Prefectural Museum in Utsunomiya. This is an excellent museum surrounded by a beautiful park in the middle of the city of Utsunomiya in Tochigi prefecture. The museum has exhibits ranging from dinosaur bones to stuffed native Tochigi animals such as bears and foxes to giant beetles. There were also some very interesting exhibits of one of my favorite subjects, medieval Japanese history. These included painted screens of important figures such as Ashikaga Takauiji as well as other samurai era exhibits of armor, swords, and other historical artifacts. I could have spent much of the day there but with two small children we took the tour in approximately one hour, spending most of the time in the dino bone and giant beetles exhibits. :)

On Thursday weather permitting we plan to travel down to Kamakura which I have never visited before so I look forward to that.

Google Translate

Google's translation feature is pretty cool and it has been getting better. But it's translations are far from perfect of course and often can be pretty funny. Here are some Google translations from the City of Nikko website about suspicious persons. The following are descriptions of various suspicious person's.

1. Male, age late 30 early 40 years old, 165 centimeters tall, thin build build, tanned, lean face, the wind seemingly humble worker wearing pants Dabodabo.

Maybe he moves like the wind but I don't know what Dabodabo looks like.

2. Male, age 50 years old place, 165 centimeters tall, medium build, light blue short-sleeved shirt, black pants, wear glasses with grizzled hair is in short.

At least it didn't say "grizzled hair is in HIS shortS."

3. Man, age about 20 years earlier, slim, white T-shirt, black pants, a white man with a towel covering his head, riding a bike of unknown color.

I was in Nikko last week but at least I didn't have a towel on my head.

4. Male, 165 centimeters tall, plump-type, black-framed glasses, wearing a disposable paper mask, long pants, an unknown color, black umbrella, carrying a plastic bag

Half of Japan wears paper disposable masks. Good luck finding this guy.

Back from Japan

I am back from my short trip to Japan and I had a great time. After arriving at Narita on Friday the 27th, I took the Kanto Maronie bus to Utsunomiya in Tochigi. This was the first time I took the bus by myself from the airport and it was very easy and convenient. I will definitely do it again.

The weather was not as cold as it usually is this time of year, some days were actually quite nice. On Saturday and Sunday in Utsunomiya, I was actually comfortable without a jacket. Plus, a lot of places in Japan blast the heater unbearably. The Mister Donut and Bell Mall in Utsunomiya were extremely warm inside. I would have been comfortable with a short-sleeve shirt and shorts in those places. Here is the Wikipedia article on Bell Mall (which I created). On Sunday I took the JR Train from Nasu/Otawara to Utsunomiya and then went to Nikko to see relatives. The Koyo is still very impressive around Nikko. Before heading to Nikko we had some delicious gyoza at this place in front of the JR Utsunomiya station. There is the hot Mister Donut to the left.

I am still amazed at how nice the trains are in Japan compared to Los Angeles. And how much more polite the people are.

On Tuesday I went on a mini Izakaya run in Otawara and enjoyed some delicious food and an excellent drink called a "Samurai Rock." Anybody ever had this drink? It is sake and lime juice on ice and it is goooood! I also did karaoke for the first time and not very well. Micheal Jackson was probably turning in his grave. :-)

Much of the rest of the short trip was just spent visiting friends and family so there is not much to report. One of the interesting things I was able to do was spend some time at a pre-school in Otawara. I spent about a half an hour with a class of 4 and 5 year-olds which was a lot of fun. I loved playing and interacting with the kids. It was funny so many would start talking to me at the same time in Japanese and asking questions but I did not not know what they were saying. One interesting thing about Japanese school kids of this age that I have read on some English teacher blogs is how some of the children have a strange habit of smacking you in the butt or in your private area. And amazingly I too experienced this as well. At one point I was standing surrounded by several children who were smacking my ass and private area from the front and behind me, even reaching between my legs from behind to smack me in the area. Very odd. But they were great kids and I had a lot fun with them.

The flight back was better than expected with two small children. My boys slept most of the flight which is a blessing and we had a serious tail-wind which got us back to LA in less than 9 hours, about 30 minutes less than normal. But the United flight attendants are kinda rude however. I probably will not fly United again.

Samurai Resurrection

This movie was released in 2003 and stars Yosuke Kubozuka as Amakusa who has risen from the dead to seek revenge.

In 1637, 37,000 peasants perished in the Shimabara Christian revolt; among them, the leader of that uprising, Shiro Amakusa. More than a decade later, Amakusa rises from the dead hell-bent on revenge. Resurrecting a ghastly army of living dead master swordsman by way of an occult art called "Makai Tensho" (demonic transmigration), he sets his sights on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate. Standing in their way is legendary samurai Jubei Yagyu, who will have to fight the reincarnation of his own father before a fierce final confrontation with Shiro Amakusa himself.

This movie will have more meaning if you have some understanding of Japanese history otherwise Jubei's duel with the dead Miyamoto Musashi will have less meaning or the resurrection of THE shogun himself, Tokugawa Ieyasu, will be won't mean as much. Yes, Ieyasu rises from the dead from his shrine in Nikko. The opening battle scene, although short, is impressive. It is an interesting samurai/horror film although I would have liked to have seen more sword fighting and more intense horror parts. This is film that really requires a beer or two or three or four to fully enjoy.

Gojunoto - The five story Nikko pagoda

The Gojunoto is an 1818 reconstruction of the original five-storied pagoda, which was erected in 1650, but which was lost in a fire in 1815. In order to make the tower stable enough to resist wind and earthquake forces, the center pillar is suspended on the fourth story and held 10 cm above the ground -- not resting on a foundation stone -- thereby functioning as a dynamic counterweight which maintains the center of gravity.

Taiyuin Mausoleum - Nikko

Taiyuin was the title given to the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu after his death. Emperor Gokoumyou awarded this title to Iemitsu's mausoleum at Nikko in present day Tochigi Prefecture. Below is the gate of the mausoleum.

Tokugawa Iemitsu left the following message when he died in 1651, "I will serve for Ieyasu even after death." The forth Tokugawa Shogun Ietsuna understood Iemitsu's will and therefore began construction of Taiyuin in 1652. The mausoleum was completed in 1653.

The buildings of Taiyuin face Ieyasu's Toshogu shrine which indicates Iemitsu's deep respect for Ieyasu.

Webcam of Nikko's Shinkyo Bridge

Here is a link to the Shinkyo bridge webcam in Nikko Japan. I like to visit this webcam periodically. It is nice to see the bridge and see what the weather is like in Nikko.

Shinkyo bridge is one of the most historically famous bridges in Japan. A couple of years ago it was completely refurbished. It is a red vermillion lacquered bridge and belongs to Futarasan Shrine in Nikko. The bridge was dedicated as a World Heritage site in 1999.

The legend of the bridge is that in 766 the founder of Nikko, Buddhist monk Shodo Shonin, attempted to cross the Daiya river but could not. He prayed for help and was answered when a Buddhist god appeared and released two snakes. The snakes then formed the bridge allowing Shodo Shonin to cross. Hence the name "Snake Bridge."

It is possible the bridge was formed as early as the late Nara period (710-794). Through much of its history, only samurai generals or court representatives could cross Shinkyo. Commoners had to cross the river by a nearby temporary bridge. In 1902, the bridge was washed out in a flood and rebuilt in 1904.

Shodo Shonin: Founder of the Temples of Nikko

Statue of Shodo Shonin in Nikko

Shodo Shonin, a Buddhist monk, is the founder of the temples of Nikko. Legend has it that Shonin was unable to cross the raging Daiya river in Nikko. So Shonin prayed to the gods and and gods answered by throwing two snakes across the river. The snakes turned into a bridge, what is now the famous Shinkyo (snake) bridge.

Shinkyo bridge over the Daiya River in Nikko

Shodo Shonin crossed the Daiya river in 766. He founded the Shihon-ryu-ji Temple (the former name of Rinno-ji Temple). Later he exoplored the summit of the sacred Mount Nantai above Nikko and Lake Chuzenji. Shonin founded Chuzenji Temple in 782.

Shodo Shonin passed away in the year 817 and was buried in Kaizan-do Temple.

The Period of Warring States

Warfare was a major part of Japanese history from ancient times until 1945. But there is one time period that was dominated by warfare like no other time in Japanese history. This period was called the Sengoku Jidai or Period of Warring States, a term taken from Chinese histories. This period of almost continuous warfare was between 1467 and 1600. The difference however was that the Japanese wars were between clans and families rather then between states as in China.

The warring states period in Japan began with the bloody Onin War from 1467 to 1476. The Onin War ushered in a century and a half of conflict. Many clan leaders during this period, called daimyo, made great names for themselves in history such as Takeda Shingen, Date Masamune and Uesugi Kenshin (currently being portrayed in an NHK drama called Tenchijin).

These wars were also a time of great development in samurai warfare. Only the strongest survived which required fielding huge armies armed with the best weapons. The most successful daimyo used large numbers of ashigaru (footsoldiers), whom they trained to use bows, long spears, and the newly introduced firearms such as the European arquebuses which were introduced in 1543.

Date Masamune (1566-1636) was one of the greatest daimyo of the Period of Warring States. In spite of having only one eye he triumphed in numerous battles in Northern Japan, and only yielded to the overwhelming force mounted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Masamune is known for his crescent-moon crest atop his battle helmet.




Date Masamune

The struggles for power between the most powerful daimyo would eventually give rise to one winner. Oda Nobunaga (1534-82) was the first daimyo to move towards total control of all Japan when he occupied Kyoto and abolished the Ashikaga shogunate in 1568. However, Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582 and it was one of Nobunaga's samurai generals who ultimately unified Japan under one rule. That general was Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi is unique because he rose through the ranks from the lowly ashigaru.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Hideyoshi obtained power through both loyalty to Nobunaga and opportunism. In a series of political moves and battles, Hideyoshi asserted his authority. Some daimyo became his allies after failing to beat him in battle. The future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was defeated in battle in 1584 by Hideyoshi, is the best example of this accommodative approach.

The end of the Period of Warring States was near after the passing of Hideyoshi in 1598. Hideyoshi's son Hideyori became the nominal ruler of Japan but he was only five years old. Soon two rival factions emerged: those loyal to Hideyori and those aligned with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) was the final victor in the Period of Warring States. Ieyasu and his rivals met in the battle at Sekigahara in 1600. Ieyasu was victorious in one of the most decisive battles in Japanese history. Ieyasu claimed Minamoto decent which allowed him to pronounce himself Shogun. The Tokugawa Shoguns would rule Japan for another two and a half centuries.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

The mausoleum and shrine for Tokugawa Ieyasu is located at Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture north of Tokyo.

Taking an austere path to enlightenment

Below is an interesting article from the Asahi Shimbun about the growing number of people who have become devoted to Shugendo. Shugendo is a religion in Japan that has been around for hundreds of years and is based on Japanese mountain worship. Shugendo has aspects of both Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto is Japan's native faith.

You may have heard of this typ of religion in relation to Mount Fuji which is considered a sacred mountain in Japan. Many mountains in Japan are considered sacred and are worshiped specifically by those that follow the Shugendo faith. One such mountain is Mount Nantai in Nikko National Park. Mount Nantai is a beautiful mountain that sits above Lake Chuzenji. The article explains how many Japanese urban dwellers have taken up the faith and comet to Nikko to escape their lives in the city and to practice their faith on the slopes of Mount Nantai.

I like this idea of mountain worship and the broader respect for nature.

Taking an austere path to enlightenment

BY NAMI HAMADA, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Urban dwellers, looking for something missing from the day-to-day grind of their working lives, are literally heading to the mountains to reconnect with nature and find spiritual fulfillment.

They are devotees of Shugendo, a religion based on ancient Japanese mountain worship that incorporates aspects of Buddhism, Shinto and other faiths.

Among the followers is a 33-year-old man from Tokyo who works weekdays as a sales representative. On his days off, he heads for the mountains, donning a traditional outfit, complete with a conch-shell horn and straw sandals.

He is a yamabushi, a mountain priest trainee. His grueling training regime includes a discipline called nyubu, which involves walking steep mountain paths for a few days while visiting sacred sites and worshipping gods and Buddha. He has a religious name: Shinanobo Zuiryu.

Shinanobo belongs to a group called Nikko-Shugendo in Tochigi Prefecture.

Through strict training, Shugendo followers try to experience what Gautama Siddhartha underwent before attaining enlightenment.

Trainees are called yamabushi or shugenja and undergo various types of training.

Shinanobo first became interested in "mountain religion" while studying history in college. As he deepened his study, he ended up becoming a yamabushi at Nikko-Shugendo.

In 2001, he became a full-fledged member of Nikko-Shugendo. He now uses his days off from work to further his training 10 to 15 times a year on Mount Nantaisan in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, as well as other mountains.

Why does he devote himself to training despite his busy work schedule?

"It's my faith," he said.

His wife, Hajime, 30, said, "Whenever he is stressed out in daily life, he says, 'I want to go to the mountains.'"

Hajime is an artist, and she will soon release a work titled "My husband is a yamabushi" in a monthly comic magazine named "Honto ni Atta Waraeru Hanashi" (Funny stories that happened in real life).

Shinanobo is not the only urban resident who longs to spend his spare time undergoing religious training in mountain locations.

Iyano Jiho, 51, who heads Nikko-Shugendo, says those who come from big cities to attend the group's training sessions have a yearning for "mountains."

"For urbanites with little connection with other people and nature, Shugendo training might be offering opportunities to re-examine various involvement with human beings and nature," Iyano said.

Originally from Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, Iyano learned Shugendo at temples in Yamagata, Kyoto and Shiga prefectures and elsewhere.

He eventually thought of bringing new life to nyubu training in Nikko, near his hometown. He renovated mountain paths and accommodations for trainees, which had not been used for a long time. The renovation work was completed in 1985, and nyubu training resumed in Nikko.

Another yamabushi from Tokyo is a 30-year-old contract worker, whose religious name is Yamaguchi Horyu. He has been training at Nikko-Shugendo for the past eight years.

As a teenager, Yamaguchi felt strongly that he did not fit in at school. Wanting to "overcome a sense of alienation," he visited several religious organizations, but none of them inspired him.

"They were out of touch with everyday life, and lacked culture or history," Yamaguchi said.

When he was in college, he saw an ad for Nikko-Shugendo training in a magazine and attended a training session. He said to himself, "This is it."

The organization felt "down to earth," he said.

"Myself wearing a necktie and myself in yamabushi outfit are no different, in that I'm a trainee," Yamaguchi said.

Training which involves continued dialogue with gods and Buddha is challenging, he added.

"Still, for me, navigating through life in a big city may be more grueling," he added.

Yamaguchi's fellow trainee under Iyano is a 33-year-old man whose religious name is Kinuki Yuho. He has been training for seven years.

Since his childhood, he had harbored an interest in Buddhism because of his father and grandfather, who were pious.

Contemplating what to do with his life while studying to enter a university, he decided to put Buddhist ideas into practice through his work.

Kinuki got a job as a caregiver but left it after three years to study Buddhism.

While learning about the religion at a university, he met a person training in Shugendo under Iyano.

Asked to come along, Kinuki attended a session and was attracted to Nikko-Shugendo. He became a frequent visitor.

"For instance, in discussing Shugendo teachings in plain language, Iyano said, 'Don't do anything that weighs on your mind, whether it's good or bad.' I repeat these words in my mind, which makes me think," Kinuki said.

Although the words may appear abstract, for Kinuki, it is precious teaching he can apply to real life.

This month, Kinuki returns to his work as a carer.

"I do have apprehension, but I also feel like I have room to breathe somewhere within myself," he said.

"By experiencing the same hard training that trainees ahead of me underwent, such as walking on mountain paths trodden by many others, I feel as if I were spiritually connected with past trainees, as well as with current trainees, beyond time and space. I feel as if I were being encouraged by them. This kind of sense has taken root in me," Kinuki said.

Why do these city dwellers find common ground with Shugendo?

Susumu Shimazono, a professor of religion at the University of Tokyo, has this to say: "Since the 1970s, Qigong, meditation and other spiritual activities have become global trends. However, disappointment is spreading among some of the people who experienced these things. They say things like, 'They are not firmly rooted in society.'

"On the other hand, with traditional aspects as well as physical aspects, Shugendo probably appeals to such people."(IHT/Asahi: April 7,2009)

Some cool and not-so-cool things from my recent trip to Japan

Cool

The Yaki-udon I had at a restaurant in Nikko. It was delicious. Fat, flat udon noodles, cabbage, muchrooms and other stuff on a hot skittle from a restaurant on a side street in Nikko next to the train tracks. The place was empty when we got there at about 11:30 but by 12:15 it was packed with people. They had other delicious hot skittle dishes such as a cheesy rice dish.

Not-so-cool

A little car stuck in a ditch on the side of the road. I always wondered how the narrow Japanese streets can have ditches right next to the street. In the US, people would be driving into these all the time. I thought that Japanese drivers must be extra careful. But just outside Utsunomiya, there was a lady sitting in her tiny car which was stuck in a ditch on the side of the road.

Cool

Revolving sushi. I went to a revolving sushi in Utsunomiya which I had also been to in 2006. Delicious. What was cool is that the plates have transmitters on the bottom and the waitress just had to hold her reader over the plates to add up the price. Cool. At the revolving sushi in Los Anegeles they do it the old fashioned way, they count the plates. Boring.

Not-so-cool

Seeing the blue tarped homeless tents along the Edogawa on the way to Narita.

Cool

The American 80s music they play at all the Flying Garden restaurants.

Not-so-cool

Cold Japanese houses. But what is cool are the heated toilets seats.

Not really cool but interesting

Two girls dressed as maids coming from the JR Utsunomiya Station. I was surprised to see this in Utsunomiya.

Cool

The button at the table at some restaurants that rings a bell to call the waiter or waitress when you need something.

Not-so-cool

No matter how many times I have been to Japan there are always one or two times I smack my head on a low doorway. I did it again.

Cool

The polite welcomes and service at stores and restaurants. The clean streets. The cool small cars like the Nissan Cube. The Jizo statues next to the road near Otawara. And many other things.

I will be here

This is where I will be for the next two weeks visiting family in Otawara, Tochigi. I will also be visiting family in Nikko. Other then that I have no specific plans. We will probably go to places like Bell Mall in Utsunomiya and if I have a chance, I will take walks around Otawara.


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I'd like to walk to this shinto shrine on top of the hill overlooking town if I have time. I've been there before but I have not walked there by myself. Below the shrine at the bottom of the hill is a Buddhist temple that I have also been to before as well.

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In the past I have walked to the Tobu mall from home which is about a 25 minute walk each way. There is a McDonald's there. The only one in Otawara. There is no Starbucks in town. For that, we go to Bell Mall. However, there is a Mister Donut next door to the Tobu Mall and their coffee is not bad. And the donuts aren't bad either.

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I will try and post updates when I am there.

Tochigi Bound

I am coming to Japan.

February 15th to the 28th I will be in Otawara, Tochigi. My wife and two little boys have been there for a while visiting Ojichan (Jiji) and Obachan (Baba). Now I will come out for a couple of weeks before we all return back to Los Angeles. I can't wait to see everybody.

Otawara is a small city in Northern Tochigi. There is not much to say about it but I really like it there. I love the small city atmosphere and the rice fields and the simplicity of Otawara. Here is the Wikipedia article about Otawara, which I wrote the majority of.

I will also be visiting Nikko where the rest of my wife's family lives. Nikko is my favorite place in Japan and it is about 30 or 40 minutes West of Otawara by car. I have been there so many time I know the route from Otawara to Nikko by memory. It is not like jumping on the highway or freeway in the US. There are many different small Japanese streets and roads on the way to Nikko. But I am pretty certain I could make it from Otawara to Nikko without help if I had to.

There are no specific plans for after I arrive. But one thing I will do when I get a chance that I always do everytime I visit Japan is I will go for long walks around town and exploring the neighborhoods.  By now Otawara is so familiar to me that I can walk pretty much anywhere and I know exactly where I am. 

I remember the first time I came to Japan, I went for a walk by myself but I was so worried that I would get lost so I just went to the main road near my in-laws house and walked one direction and then back the other direction.

There is one new thing that I will be doing for the first time while in Japan. Driving. I am going to get an international drivers permit so my wife and I and the boys can go places on our own. She can't drive in Japan because she did not get an international license so I will be doing the driving. I am a little nervous about the driving on the left side of the road though. If any of you are in the Tochigi area, better watch out on the roads for some foreigner driving on the wrong side. It might be me.

Maybe I will drive to Nikko.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and Nikko Shrine

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Ieyasu Tokugawa was born in the warring states period. He survived the chaos, defeated his rivals and unified the entire nation. Ieyasu was assigned the title Seii-taishogun (Great generalissimo) in 1603 by the Emperor and established the Tokugawa Shogunate (Bakufu) in Edo (Tokyo). In 1605, Ieyasu retired and his son Hidetada became shogun. However, Ieyasu watched the nation closely even after he retired.

Prior to his death, Ieyasu left a last instruction for after he passed. "Enshrine my dead body in Mt. Kuno (His hometown in Shizuoka prefecture) for the first year after my death. Then, build a small shrine in Nikko and enshrine me as a God. I will be the guardian of Japan."

Ieyasu was dead on April 17th, 1616, when he was 75 years old. The Shrine was constructed in Nikko and the divine designation "Tosho-Daigongen" was given to it by the Imperial court. He was enshrined in accordance with his last will.

Ieyasu aimed to be the guardian of Japan. Nikko is located north of Edo and the north was considered as a taboo direction, where demons would come from. Therefore, Ieyasu wanted to place himself in the taboo direction in order to protect Japan from the evil things. He hoped for a long life of the Tokugawa government and for eternal peace.

Although, Ieyasu wanted "a small shrine," the third shogun Iemitsu, Ieyasu's grandson, reformed the shrine into today's opulent buildings. Most of the existing buildings were built in this period of reformation. According to the Tokugawa government reports, it cost 40,000,000,000 yen in the equivalent of today's currency. It took tens of thousands of artisans approximately two years to complete construction. Thirty-five buildings were reformed in that period which ended in 1636.

Yomeimon Gate

Ieyasu's remains are enshrined in this bronze pagoda.

About Nikko - The Ishidorii

The Ishidorii is a stone torii gate that was originally dedicated in 1618. It is 9 meters tall and the pillars at the base have a diameter of 3.6 meters. The Ishidorii is considered one of the three best stone torii gates in Japan. It is the biggest among the stone-made torii gates from the Edo period. The other two gates are located at the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto and the Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura.

Emperor Gomizunoo (1596-1680) wrote "Tosho-daigongen" (Divine designation of Ieyasu Tokugawa) which is on the frame on the upper part of the Ishidorii. The main material for the gate is granite which was produced in Fukuoka prefecture. The gate is made up of 15 pieces of the stone material. Each piece is connected by an axle, and the crossmembers have cavities to reduce the weight. The gate also was designed with earthquake resistant features. The joint of the cross members slipped during a 1949 earthquake but they shifted back into place during subsequent aftershocks. (Nikko Tourist Association)

This is a pretty impressive gate. It is at the top of a long series of wide steps which are at the top end of a short dirt road within the Toshogu temple complex. In 2004, I attended the annual 1000 Samurai Procession Festival. I was at the bottom end of the road looking back up towards the Ishidorii. The 1000 samurai bagan their procession near the gate and proceeded down the road. This event occurred on a Sunday. On Saturday, there was a demonstration where horse-mounted samurai road full-speed up the road without using their hands to guide the horse. They were using both of their hands to fire a bow and arrow at targets as they flew by at full speed. They guided their horses with their legs. (Previous post on this festival).

About Nikko - Karadou-torii

This torii gate is called the Karadou-torii. The famous Yomeimon Gate is seen in the background. The 3rd Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu spent approximately 200,000,000 yen in today's currency for the construction of this torii gate.

This torii gate is unusual in that it is made of bronze which is also why it cost so much. What is also unusual is that a lotus flower is carved on the foot of the pillars. It is unusual because the lotus flower is associated with buddhism while torii gates are asscoiated with Shinto Shrines.

That is one way to tell a Shinto shrine from a Buddhist temple if there is a torii gate located at the entrance.

Army of Toshogu

Toshogu Shrine in Nikko is the famous mausoleum of the great Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who unified Japan under Tokugawa rule for 250 years. The House of Tokugawa finally collapsed in 1868 under the onslaught of Imperial forces. Oppositionists continued to fight for the Shogun through early 1868.

The Oppositionists fought battles as they retreated North from Edo (Tokyo). One of the Opposition units was lead by Shinsengumi commander Hijikata Toshizo. They marched under a great white banner emblazoned with the Chinese characters Tosho Daigongen, an alternate name for the Toshogu Shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Hijikata's Tosho Daigongen unit fought and captured Utsunomiya Castle but were driven from the castle in a major offensive by Imperial forces. Hijikata and his Army of Toshogu eventually were defeated on the northern island of Ezo (Hokkaido).

Hopefully this will give those visiting Nikko more feeling of the historical significance of the Toshogu Shrine rather then just thinking of Nikko as another Japanese tourist destination full of temples and shrines.

Statue of Shinsengumi Commander Hijikata Toshizo

About Nikko - Two places to eat

If you visit Nikko, and would like to have some good ramen before you head up to the temples and shrines, there is a good ramen restaurant across the street from Sunkus on the main street through town.  The blue marker on the map below shows where the restaurant is located.  I don't recall the name of the restaurant but it is at the back of a small parking area.  You can zoom the map in and see it better.  It is only a couple blocks from the train station.

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Also, if you like Indian food, there is a really good Indian restaurant across the street from the Nikko train station.  I did not put a marker for it on the map because I don't recall which corner it is on but it is across the street from the station and it is really good.

Nikko's Volcano

High above the town of Nikko and at the end of a steep road with too many switchbacks to count, lies Lake Chuzenji. This is one of the must see locations when visiting Nikko National Park. This high mountain lake is surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests.

Lake Chuzenji with Mt. Nantai

The tallest mountain above the lake, and one of the most famous in Japan, is Mount Nantai, a dormant volcano. Lake Chuzenji was formed about 20,000 years ago after the eruption of the now dormant Mount Nantai. At least it was thought that Nantai was dormant.

A recent article in the Japan Times states that Nantai may still be an active volcano after experts discovered evidence of much more recent eruptions. The Japan Meteorological Agency will now have to decide whether to designate Mount Nantai as Japan's 109th active volcano.

This area is one of my favorite parts of Nikko. If you love mountains, forests, lakes, water falls, and high mountain meadows, then this is where you want to come. As usual, try and avoid coming here during holidays. A great time to come is during the Fall when the trees are changing colors but once again, thousands of other tourists will be coming here to see the Fall colors as well.

The road leading up to Chuzenji is called Irohazaka Winding Road. There are actually two roads, one going up and a separate Irohazaka road going down. This was done to keep opposite traffic safely separate due to how sharp the switchbacks are.

There are many waterfalls surrounding the lake including the famous Kegon Falls. Above the lake is Ryuzu Falls which I visited. There is a good viewing location below the falls as well as a small store for tourists. The falls are popular to photograph in the Fall when the leaves are changing colors.

Ryuzu Falls

Lake Chuzenji also has long been popular among diplomats from foreign nations who built cottages surrounding the lake. Several nations still have cottages at Chuzenji including France and Belgium.

The drive up and down the mountain is certainly hair raising but definitely worth it. One thing I would love to do someday is ride my bike from the top all the way down to the town of Nikko. That would be a blast and better then any roller coaster ride.