Nikko is the place were the first shogun of the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Ieyasu is buried. His grave (Tosho-gu) and the surrounding shrines show nice examples of the architecture of the early edo period. His grandson, Tokugwa Iemitsu (1604-1651) who built the shrine for Ieyasu, is also buried in Nikko in a nearby shrine (The Taiyuin).
But Nikko was known as a holy site since the 8th century when the priest Shodo Shonin (735-817) discovered the place after crossing the mountains alone and built the first shrine here (in the old Nikko area). He also founded a religious center here. His buddhist school remained famous for many centuries.
Nikko is also is famous place for Kendo (Japanese fencing).
Pictures taken on August 8, 2004, in Nikko, Tochigi prefecture, Japan.
