When the founder of the shrine(shogun Ieyasu in case you've lost track) died, the emperor made him a Shinto god. His shrine is the plain dark one pictured here, and you can see a shinto priest and followers paying respects. the other shrine pictured here is that of his grandson, Iemitsu. In addition to outshining his grandfather by a wide margin, he also had dozens of buildings and gates spread all over the complex, all by the best artists in Japan. The whole assemblage is covered in lacquer and gold leaf, and intricate carvings decorate almost any available surface. There's far too much to show here, but in the next post, I'll put up some closeups of some of the workmanship.

Nikko was considered a sacred site for many centuries before the great warlord Shogun Ieyasu decided to build his memorial shrine there. Ieyasu was famous for ending a particularly violent, century long civil war among rival warlords and uniting the country under his control. Although he was buried there in 1616 when he died, his grandsom, Iemetsu really went to town on the place, building the most lavish complex in Japan, and adding his own shrine there as well, which outshines grandpa. The buildings undeniably have a big wow factor, although, like the Rococo period in Europe, lots of people think it's a bit over the top. Personally I think it's a lot of fun, but I really like the setting, in the mountains surrounded by ancient, soaring cedars, is the best part.