“Never say kekko(wonderful) until you see Nikko”. This is a famous expression in Japan representing the beauty of Nikko, similar to “See Naples and die”.
I went to Nikko to see Toshogu shrine with students from China. Toshogu is designated as a World Heritage Site and has a history of about 400 years. Ieyasu Tokugawa, a founder of Edo Shogunate government lasted for about 250 years was enshrined here. He had an absolute power of administration and wrote in his will that he should be buried in Nikko. Historic buildings vividly colored and over 5,000 carvings attract our attention. I wonder how much he held power.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
What I was impressed with Toshogu is its location according to the influence of Chinese geomancy or feng shui. The main gate called Yomei-mon is designed to situate just under the North Star and Edo (Tokyo) is located on the line joining the gate and the North Star. As the North Star is in the center of the universe, it is said that he might want to watch over Edo from the permanent place.
When I told about this story, a Chinese student taught me that the main stadium of the Beijing Olympics, known as the Bird’s Nest, was also located on the line to the north joining the Tiananmen and the Forbidden City.
That’s interesting! Feng shui is deeply rooted in our lives once, now and forever.