| | | Shrines and Temples of Nikko
Nikko (Japon)
| | | | Visite virtuelle |  | 44 sections et 44 éléments |
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Outdoor Architecture (40)
Futirasan-jinja Temple
Rinnoji Temple
Sannai Aera
Taiyuin Mausoleum
|  | Taiyu-in Reibyo
Building where Taiyu-in, or the deified image of Tokugawa lemitsu, is enshrined
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Toshogu Shrine
|  | Ishidorii
Torii de granit
1618
The Ishidorii has remained in its original form since its construction. The torii gate is made out of 15 blocks of stone, instead of wood, which is the material usually used for torii.
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|  | Gojunoto
Gojûnotô
Five-Storied-Pagoda
entre 1650 et 1818
Tadakatsu Sakai contributed this building in 1650, but was burned down in 1815. Descendant of Tadakatsu rebuilt in 1818. Tadakatsu Sakai was the governor of Obama (Former Fukui prefecture).
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|  | Niomon (4)
Omotemon
Omote gate
1636
Images of the Nioh are put on the side of the Omotemon. Therefore, the Omotemon used to be called Nioh-mon Gate. The Nioh is a pair of Deva Kings, and is guardian of Buddhism. The Nioh was relocated to Taiyuin Mausoleum by the law of Meiji government.
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|  | Shinkyu (5)
Shinkyû
Sacred horse stable
1636
The Shinkyu remains in its original condition, although it's partitioning and its transom have been slightly altered. This structure represents the type of stable found in Shoin-zukuri, the typical architectural style for residences of feudal lords.
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|  | Mizuya
Fountain pavilion
Omizuya
1636
Today, the Mizuya is found in most of the shrine in Japan. Visitors purify their hands and mouths before worship. However, worshippers used to wash their hands and mouths in the natural river and the spring.
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|  | Yomeimon (4)
Yômeimon
Yomei Gate
1636
The name of the Yomeimon came from one of the twelve gates in the Imperial court in Kyoto. That one also was called Yomeimon.
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|  | Tozai Kairo (1)
Tôzai Kairô
1636
The Tozai Kairo is a semi-enclosed corridor. Its northern part was damaged and lost in an earthquake which struck the region in 1647, the other parts that survived the catastrophe remain without any alteration whatever since then.
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|  | Shômen Karamon (1)
1636
Karamon Gate is located after passing through the Youmeimon Gate. This small entrance is the front gate of the most important building, Honsha (Main shrine.)
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Park(s) and Garden(s) (2)
Rinnoji Temple
Sannai Aera
Transportation (1)
Rinnoji Temple
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| | Description | |
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The Nikko shrines and temples are a group of buildings in a natural setting laid out by man to form a site, with the value of a cultural and associative landscape.
Each building represents outstanding artistic value as a masterpiece created by some of the earliest architectural geniuses in Japan. The two mausoleums - Tôshôgû and the Taiyû-in Reibyô - embody complete forms of the architectural style known as Gonzen-zukuri, the most advanced style of religious architecture in Japan at that time. Indeed, this style had great influence upon the architects of shrine buildings and mausolea in succeeding generations.
The buildings vividly illustrate the collective ingenuity and creativity of the architects involved in the production of this architectural landscape; the extent of decoration introduced here had never been thus far in the history of Japan and buildings were arranged and coloured deliberately and effectively to produce an impression of integration. At the same time, they best represent the Japanese architectural style of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in the Edo period, the style characterized by mausolea. In particular, the buildings of Tôshôgû are an important, eloquent source of abundant information on this early architectural style used in Japan. The property illustrates a significant stage in the history of architecture in Japan.
Shrines and Temples of Nikko, including the surrounding setting as well as the group of religious buildings, is a typical example of traditionally observed religious space in Japan, directly associated with Shintoist attitudes toward nature, ie the Japanese indigenous religious belief, in which specific mountains or forests are deified as subjects of reverence.
In addition, Nikko is still an active religious place where rituals and other traditional events are so frequently held as to be a living tradition rooted in the daily lives of people at their spiritual level.
The Futarasan-jinja
Devoted to the three divinities of Mount Nantai, it forms a complex of buildings, 23 of which are listed as Important Cultural Properties under the Law Protecting Cultural Properties.
Most of them were restored or built in the 17th century, following old traditions, and they exerted a general influence in the layout of shrines throughout Japan. Among the most remarkable buildings, mention should be made of the Honden and the Haiden, the heart of the shrine, the Betsugû Takino-o-jinja Honden, with a construction plan dating back to the year 825, and the Shin-yosha, the oldest example of an architectural style which was to inspire the first construction phases of the Tôshôgu.
The Shinkyô is also part of the Futarasan-jinja. This sacred bridge, straddling the river Daiya, appears to belong to the Muromachi period. Its present configuration, a vermilion lacquer bridge resting on massive stone pillars, goes back to 1636. The roadway of the Shinkyô was swept away by a disastrous flood in 1902, but it was faithfully restored in 1904 and is undergoing major restoration work.
The Tôshôgu
This shrine, founded in the first half of the 17th century, comprises a large number of buildings, including 37 which are listed as Important Cultural Properties, the others being listed as National Treasures.
A suite of three sacred chambers is a perfect illustration of the H-shaped architectural layout known as Gongen-zukuri, in which the Honden, the principal chamber, is linked to the Haiden, the oratory, by a stone-paved corridor called the Ishinoma.
- The Shômen Karamon and the Haimen Karamon, a masterpiece of craftsmanship and decoration, is inspired by a foreign style, hence the common name of "Chinese door".
- The Yômeimon, erected in 1636, is probably the most well known example of the architectural style of Nikko. It is covered in a profusion and infinite variety of decoration.
- The Tôzai Sukibe, also dating to 1636, is a wall about 160m long, surrounding the Honden, Ishinoma,and Haiden group.
- The Tôzai Kairo, a corridor 220m long, with a southern
section formed of 25 sculpted panels, surrounds three sides
of the same Honden, Ishinoma, and Haiden group.
The Rinnô-ji
The origin of this Buddhist temple goes back to the 8th century, and it has always remained a place of worship. Major constructions were added at the beginning of the Edo period, especially in 1653 for the mausoleum of the third shogun, Togukawa Iemitsu. It is composed of many buildings, including 37 listed as Important Cultural Properties.
The group, in the Gongen-zukuri shape and style and composed of the Taiyû-in Reibyô Honden, Ainoma, and Haiden, is listed as a National Treasure. It is a pure masterpiece of architecture and decoration.
The site
Thanks to centuries of landscaping, the temples and shrines blend harmoniously in their natural setting. The buildings are arranged on the mountain slopes in such a way as to create different visual effects. The perception of the views and scale of the edifices is conditioned by the carefully studied proportion of the stairs, the supporting walls, and the walls enclosing the area. The result is a striking impression of harmony and contemplation. Thousands of Japanese cedars were planted during the Tôshôgu construction period in the early 17th century. They are at present at the peak of their growth. This cryptomeria forest provides an exceptional natural bower for the shrines and temples, adding considerably to the beauty and sacred character of the site.
Protection
The buildings inscribed as National Treasures (9) or as Important Cultural Properties (94) by virtue of Article 27 of the Convention on the Protection of Cultural Heritage come under legal protection as well as strict management and conservation measures. In view of its value as natural heritage, the entire site falls under different protection systems. Some of them were introduced a long time ago, as far back as the 17th century through statutory measures, and before that time through customary arrangements. Special schemes cover the various areas, sometimes in a concomitant manner. In addition to the 1950 Law on the Protection of Cultural Properties, which protects both the buildings and the area around them.
The perimeter round the site proposed for inscription on the World Heritage List corresponds to the boundaries of the property owned by the monks in charge of its daily management. It is controlled by special regulations which, depending on the specific areas, are combined with the different protective measures mentioned above. The perimeter has an irregular shape, mainly due to the narrow excrescence in the south-east, near the sacred bridge (Shinkyô). A tiny separate plot of land, on which a very old religious building stands, has also been added to the perimeter. The reasoning behind the definition of the perimeter is based on the religious character of the site as well as a concern for clarity in the everyday management tasks carried out by the religious authorities.
A large number of visitors frequent the shrines and temples of Nikko. In 1996, out of a total of about 1.7 million visitors, 550,000 were students on educational trips and 20,000 were foreign tourists.
Conservation
The conservation of the Nikko shrines and temples is the outcome of a respect for age-old traditions of conservation and restoration as well as the preservation of religious practices linked to a site considered as sacred. A methodical approach was adopted at a very early stage. A remarkable manuscript written in 1753 contains many comments on the works undertaken during the 17th century, which the monks concerned recorded in writing.
The very precise descriptions of the architectural structures and the decorative works contained in this manuscript make it a very precious reference work, which is frequently consulted even now. The manuscript, for example, sets out the traditional directions for the use of colours, with accurate references to the pigments and their place of origin.
This practice of keeping meticulous records has been respected up to the present time.
The Decree of 1871 relating to the separation of the Shinto and Buddhist cults was adopted under the Meiji. In Nikko, two Shinto shrines and a Buddhist temple were entrusted to three distinct religious organizations. Within this framework, a few buildings, fortunately few in number, were demolished, transformed, or moved elsewhere. These breaches to the integrity of the historic site came to an end with the setting up in 1879 of the Association for the Conservation of the Shrines and Temples of Nikko, called Hokokai.
There is no doubt that this historic site has suffered from difficulties over the centuries. Buildings were burnt down or damaged by falling trees or earthquakes. Each time, the
damaged building was restored faithfully, following rigorously the original plans and techniques, using the original materials whenever possible, and keeping detailed documents about these operations.
This fidelity to the initial model and the significance of the religious buildings reveals a determination to respect their authenticity. In general, the management of the site aims at
preserving the rich harmony of the cultural landscape which unites natural features and buildings.
Right from the start, preventive measures and emergency plans were adopted to cope with the dangers of fires and earthquakes. This has always been a constant preoccupation. In the course of this century, in particular, every new prevention technique has been adopted
immediately. Thus, a sophisticated system of water jets, fed by huge underground reservoirs, was installed in the fifties. The latest teledetection techniques have been incorporated unobtrusively to monitor any sign of possible danger from a central observatory. The forest of cryptomeria is also controlled regularly and the trees are strengthened to prevent them from falling over the buildings. | | Histoire | |
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The cultural property is linked to a cult that goes back to the end of the 8th century, when a Buddhist monk, Shodo, erected the first buildings on the slopes of the Nikko, which had been worshipped as a sacred mountain since time immemorial. Certain buildings in the Futarasan-jinja and Rinnô-ji groups belong to this period.
At the end of the 12th century, the Kamakura Shogunate established itself in the region of Kanto. This enabled Nikko to strengthen its position further as a major sacred site in Kanto, not only because of its mountainous situation but also because of its religious edifices. However, the site was more or less abandoned owing to the upheavals of the Muromachi period, in the 16th century.
The temples were rehabilitated at the beginning of the 17th century. Nikko was chosen as the site for the Tôshôgu, a sanctuary composed of several buildings erected to house the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This regime was in power for over 250 years in the history of Japan. Since this period, Nikko has played a very important role as a symbol of national sovereignty, not only in the eyes of local authorities but also those of leaders of neighbouring countries who sent their emissaries to pay tribute to Ieyasu, a deified personage.
In 1871, the Meiji government decided to divide the site and its religious buildings, which came under one religious authority, into three groups entrusted to three separate religious organizations: Futarasan-jinja and Tôshôgu for the Shinto cult, and Rinnô-ji for Buddhism. This reorganization entailed moving and restoring certain buildings. The sacred and prestigious character of the site made it possible to guarantee the preservation of Nikko which was placed under legal protection as of 1897, a measure subsequently reinforced on several occasions. | | Plus de photos | |
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