Sunshine in Sunshine (Nikko)

The ancient site of Nikko in Tochigi prefecture is one of the most visited places in Japan.
The Tokugawa shogun built this collection of temples and mausoleums in a mountain fastness pretty much in the dead center of the main island of Japan.

At the time it was very isolated and the effort required to move all the materials and craftsmen up into the mountains was staggering. It is very much the Versailles of Japan.

 The sake brewers bring barrels of the new season's sake to be blessed. As do the brewers.

 We were lucky enough to see a wedding and a seventh birthday celebration.

Elaborate gilded designs are everywhere, these ones recently restored. Far from being garish the designs blend perfectly with the ancient timbers and surrounding forest and stones.

 The most splendid collection of carved and decorated birds adorn hundreds of meters of screens. Like the Chinese warriors each one is different.

 These photos show some of the joins used in the  construction and restoration.

Now World Heritage listed, major restoration works are being undertaken as much of the elaborate ornamentation is directly exposed to the elements. The task of restoration is enormous. The buildings are made without nails or metal, all the timbers slot together like a giant wooden puzzle. Slot is not really the right word as an amazing number of different tongue and groove and related jigsaw like shapings are required.