Once Upon a Time in the East :: Beautiful Japan #65

The beautiful family shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Or at least the entrance to it.

Welcome to Rokusho Shrine. I previously posted a photo of this shrine here but since that post was one of my first on Steemit and only got about 2 views, I figure I am allowed to repeat myself here.

Once upon a time in the East, a man named Tokugawa Ieyasu was a pretty big deal. He would go on to completely conquer Japan in 1603 and be declared Shogun, and his family would continue to rule the country until 1868 when the Emperor took charge again^†.

Long before he rose to that height, he was known as Matsudaira Takechiyo, and he was born in the city I now life in, Okazaki. This was his family shrine.

Because of that connection, after he did become Shogun, this shrine became much more popular. The Tokugawa government protected it and fixed it up, renovating the buildings and adding more. Only the most powerful regional lords were allowed to actually enter the shrine. All others had to be content to simply look at it and pray from the outside.

This gate photoed, a rōmon gate (roh-mohn, not romen), is a wonderful example of this type. They are two storied gates, but the second story is often sealed and not accessible.

Footnotes

†: Or more exactly, others took charge in his name; it is debatable how much real power he had. This would be the Emperor Meiji, and he was only a young man when this event went down. The emperors of Japan have mostly been puppets since ancient times.

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Don't miss the other great photos in the Beautiful Japan photo series!

#1–10 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #1
#11–20 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #2
#21–30 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #3
#31–40 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #4
#41–50 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #5
#51 — Remember the Rice Fields Where We Once Played
#52 — Collecting God's Money
#53 — Rice is Done
#54 — Our Secret Place
#55 — Animal Wishes
#56 — Good Day Sunshine
#57 — Bridge in a Dream
#58 — Deep Breaths
#59 — Shaded Door
#60 — Bow Before the 13 Buddhas
#61 — Waiting For a Wish
#62 — Some Red in an Otherwise Gloomy Winter Day
#63 — Sakura Jogging Path
#64 — Purple Glow of the Flowers

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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.

Who is David?
	David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.