Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun, was not content with building the world’s most elaborately decorated shrine for his grandfather. He also build an elaborate mausoleum for himself, located a short distance away. This is the Taiyuinbyo, which also serves as a functioning Buddhist temple.
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Before he died Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, requested that a simple shrine be built for him so that he could serve as a guardian kami for the Japanese nation. The shrine was eventually built by his grandson Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa Shogun, but it was anything but simple. Most Shinto shrines are unpretentious, even austere. This is the most ornate Shinto shrine in Japan.

Ieyasu is still revered because he brought an end to a long series of bloody civil wars and began a period of peace an prosperity that lasted more than 250 years.
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Nikko is a small city located about 140 km from Tokyo. It is an easy day trip, and well worth it since it contains some of the most impressive temples and shrines in Japan.
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