The Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) is a shrine located in Shibuya, a district of Tokyo (the area as the famous Shibuya Crossing you may have seen in videos). The spirits of the Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shōken are enshrined here.
Emperor Meiji (birth name Mutsuhito, lived A.D. 1852-1912) was a pivotal figure in Japanese history. At the start of his reign, the Shogunate system, which had effectively ruled Japan for 700 years and left the Emperors as figureheads, was abolished. The old system of domains was abolished, the samurai removed as a social class, and a process of modernization started. Depending on your perspective, he either saved Japan from being carved up by 19th Century Imperial powers and brought Japan into the modern world, or oversaw the abandonment (and destruction in some cases) of Japanese heritage and culture. Or maybe both.
The Shrine was started in 1915 and completed in 1926. It was destroyed during World War II, but rebuilt in 1957.
The land for the shrine was originally a hunting ground for one of the daimyo (Great Lords) that dwelt in Tokyo. It consists of 170 acres and includes 120,000 trees of 365 varieties.
As we saw at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Jingu, sake makers send casks to for good fortune for the coming year.
Wine-makers from Burgundy, France also donated casks of wine for consecration.
Ah, more visuals TB, good. Somebody spent the time to count the number of trees on that acreage.
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - Given that it is Japan, the fact they know how many trees there are does not surprise me at all.
DeleteMeiji Jingu is all the more surprising to me because it is "buried" in the middle of Tokyo, in a very busy area - yet once you are inside, you would hardly know it.
Wow, TB, how are you keeping all these shrines distinct in your head? There are so many of them!
ReplyDeleteSo do the sake makers send new casks every year? What happens to the previous years casks?
Leigh - Part of keeping them distinct is notes (and the InterWeb); part of it is that each shrine or temple has its own "feel" to it, even though they belong to the same religion (like churches in that respect).
DeleteI believe the sake makes send new casks every year. I am not sure about the wine; one of my fellow students from Europe made the comment "That stuff is probably vinegar now".
I am always fascinated by building projects that take 11 years like this shine or 2000+ years like the Great Wall. Imagine if here in America someone promised to build something over the next 11 years. It wouldn't even get off the ground because people would be complaining.
ReplyDeleteEd, it is a great point. Part of that is impatience; part of that is how long it seems to get any building project started anymore.
DeleteAnd building for permanence? I feel like it is almost unheard of anymore.