Meiji Shrine

Meiji Jingu (明治神宮), located in Tokyo, Japan near Harajuku Station and Yoyogi Park, is the Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914. After the demise of the Emperor and Empress, this shrine was constructed to venerate them. Their souls were enshrined on November 1, 1920. Shrine maiden at Meiji Shrine The shrine grounds consist of two areas: - Naien, or the inner precinct/garden, cantered on the shrine buildings, which include a treasure museum that houses articles of the Emperor and Empress enshrined here. The treasure museum is built in the Azekurazukuri style. - Gaien, or the outer precinct/garden, which includes the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery that houses a collection of 80 large murals illustrative of the events in the lives of the Emperor and his consort. It also includes a variety of sports facilities, including the National Stadium, and is seen as the centre of Japanese sports. It also includes the Meiji Memorial Hall, which was originally used for governmental meetings, including discussions surrounding the drafting of the Meiji Constitution in the late 19th century. Today it is used for Shinto weddings. See more pictures of traditional Japanese wedding These areas are covered by an evergreen forest of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established. This 700,000 square-meter forest (about 175 acres) is visited by many people both as a spiritual home of the people and as a recreation and relaxation area in the centre of Tokyo. The shrine was built in a garden area where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken sometimes visited. The shrine was built in the Nagarezukuri style and is made up primarily of Japanese cypress from Kiso, which is considered the best lumber produced in Japan. See more pictures of Meiji Shrine. MEIJI SHRINE The central sanctuary where the Meiji emperor is enshrined. Picture by Fg2 Harajuku Hotels Looking for accommodation in Harajuku? The closest hotels to Harajuku are in near by Shinjuku Tokyo. Please support our site by using our Shinjuku Hotels reservation system. (Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License) |