TOKYO

Entry to Meiji Shrine is marked by a huge torii shrine gate. [Source]

After Emperor Meiji passed away, people wished to commemorate their virtues and to venerate them forever. So they donated 100,000 trees from all over Japan and from overseas, and they worked voluntarily to create this forest. [Source]

The buildings are made out of cypress wood from the Kiso region of Nagano (regarded as the best in Japan. [Source]

The Meiji Shrine is a one of the most visited garden/shrines in Tokyo for its historical significance in memory of Emperor Meiji. The rooftops are made of copper. The architecture emphasizes on simple lines and unornamented pillars. The front courtyard is made of white-gravel which hint the typical Shintoist. Surrounding the park are 125,000 planted trees that were offerings made by people to their emperor [1]. The memorial has two parts: the Inner Garden and the Outer Garden. The construction of these two parts had a social impact on its uses. The Inner Garden was sacred and held the spirit of the emperor’s spirit. The 125,000 planted trees are situated here and visitors are allowed to walk the paths towards the shrine. The Outer Garden on the other hand was the memorial art gallery and sports grounds. This shrine was not as simple as it seemed because it required military censorship until the end of World War II. “This shrine deified an emperor whom the Meiji government used as a model to inculcate myths of the military spirit and superiority of Japanese people [2]."

 

 

 

References:

 

[1] Knopf, A. (2001). Tokyo Japan. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

 

[2] Martin, J., & Martin, P. (1996). Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Omotesando, Aoyama. In Tokyo, a cultural guide to Japan's capital city. Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle.