Page 273 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

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. Pagoda VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Donated by a daimyo
(feudal lord) in 1650, Practical Information
this five-story pagoda Tel (0288) 54-0560. &
was rebuilt in 1818 Open 8am–5pm daily
after a fire. Each story (to 4pm Nov–Mar).
represents an element
– earth, water, fire,
wind, and heaven in
ascending order.
To Ieyasu’s Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tomb and Ieyasu (1543–1616) was a wily
Treasure Tower strategist and master politician
who founded the dynasty that
would rule Japan for over
250 years. Born the son of a
minor lord, he spent his life
accumulating power, not
becoming shogun until 1603,
when he was 60. He built his
capital at the swampy village
of Edo (now Tokyo), and his
rule saw the start of the flower-
ing of Edo culture. He ensured
that after his death, he would
be enshrined as a god and
gongen (incarnation of the
Buddha). His posthumous
name was Tosho-Daigongen
(the great incar-nation
illuminating the East).

leyasu’s treasure tower, containing
his ashes

Entrance

. Sacred Stable
A carving of the three wise monkeys
decorates this unpainted wooden
building. A horse given by the New
Zealand government is stabled here
for several hours a day.
A Shinto priestess sweeping under the Yomeimon gate

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