XLIII - Nikko

XLII - Nikko

Kegon no Taki (華厳滝 - Kegon Falls) are the most spectacular waterfalls in Nikko National Park, and are located at Chūzenji-ko (中禅寺湖 - Lake Chuzenji) . The main fall is 97m high and is among the three highest in Japan. It is surrounded by 12 smaller falls which leak through the cracks of the mountain.

The scenery in this place is truly imposing, no wonder it is sadly infamous for suicides, especially among Japanese youth.

XLI - Nikko

A garishly decorated (food? souvenir?) shop in Nikko.

XL - Nikko

XXXIX - Nikko

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XXXVII - Nikko

Another shot of the pretty tōrō bearing the Tokugawa family crest, the maruni-mitsubaoi.

XXXVI - Nikko

Another imaginary elephant guarding the entrance to Taiyūin-byō shrine on Yashamon gate.

XXXV - Nikko

There is another beautiful gate in Taiyūin-byō shrine. The four kadomori-no-kami of Yashamon (夜叉門) gate are four female devils; the colour of each body (green, red, blue and white) represents a cardinal direction (north, south, east, west) ― although I'm not precisely sure which is which.

If any of you know, please drop me a line!

XXXIV - Nikko

One of the four kadomori-no-kami of Nitenmon (二天門) gate is Fūjin (風神), the god of wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods. He carries a large bag of winds on his shoulders, which he is said to have released when the world was created to clear the mists between heaven and earth, so that the sun could shine. This gate leads to Taiyūin-byō shrine.

XXXIII - Nikko

The kami guardians of Yomeimon (陽明門) gate are two archers known as Zuijin (or Zuishin), which is the name with which the Emperor's bodyguards were once called. Their costumes and weapons are those worn during the Heian period (794-1185). The two (or four) kami which usually flank the entrance to a gate can appear under either human or demon form and are called Kadomori-no-kami (門守の神).

XXXII - Nikko

A detail on one of the shoro (鐘楼, "bell tower") in the Tosho-gu complex.

XXXI - Nikko

These are the rooftops of Taiyūin-byō (大院廟) shrine, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, 1604-1651), the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty and grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康, 1543-1616), founder of the shogunate and enshrined in nearby Tosho-gu.

XXX - Nikko

One of the most important spirits for Shinto is Inari (稲荷), the kami of rice, agriculture and fertility. Inari is such a popular deity that, according to a survey, more than one third of the shrines in Japan are dedicated to her. It is no wonder then that the material which is most used for symbolical decorations and offerings in shrines is rice itself.

Shimenawa (注連縄, "enclosing rope") are lengths of braided rice twisted into ropes of various diameters, often hung with shide (紙垂, zigzag paper streamers), and are used to demarcate a sacred space. They can be found on Shinto shrines, torii gates, and sacred landmarks to ward away evil spirits, or around trees to mark those which are believed to be inhabited by wood spirits called Kodama (木霊).

XXIX - Nikko

Miko (巫女, literally "shaman woman", also translated as "shrine maiden") are young women who work at Shinto shrines. The role of miko was originally to go into trances and convey oracles from kami (神, "spirits") trough dancing and other shamanistic practices. Nowadays, being a miko is just another kind of day job for girls, as they are only required to help around the shrine, assist in functions and sell omikuji.

This miko was playing a gong in the prayer hall of a shrine, and she can be seen wearing the traditional attire: red hakama (袴, large pleated trousers) and white haori (羽織, kimono jacket). The bow in her hair is made of rice straw, a material which is particularly important in Shinto rituals and imagery.

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As I mentioned, ema often have a drawing which explains what they are meant to be most effective for on one side. The pink hearts on these particular ema make guessing what kind of wishes they are carrying pretty obvious!

XXVII - Nikko

Did I already mention how incredibly green the forest around the shrines and temples is?

XXVI - Nikko

Isn't the moss on those stone tōrō just adorable?

The clover-like embossing which can be seen on the metal tōrō (and just about everywhere else) is the mon (紋, "crest") of the Tokugawa family, and is called the maruni-mitsubaoi (三葉葵, "circle around three hollyhock leaves")

XXV - Nikko

And above the koma-inu, beautiful green and gold dragons.

XXIV - Nikko

Every inch of Tosho-gu is covered with intricate designs and mythical beasts. The Shishi (石獅子, "stone lion" or "lion dog", also called Koma-inu こま犬) are among the most common ones.

This particular one adorns Yomeimon (陽明門) gate.