Meiji Shrine 明治神宮



Meiji Shrine (明治神宮), located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken.



When Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shōken in 1914, the Japanese people wished to pay their respects to the two influential Japanese figures.



It was for this reason that Meiji Shrine was constructed and their souls enshrined on November 1, 1920.



After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration.



Construction began in 1915, and the shrine was built in the traditional Nagarezukuri style and is made up primarily of Japanese cypress and copper.



The original building was destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II. The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October, 1958.



Meiji Shrine was brought into the flow of current events with the 2009 visit of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.



source: wikipedia.com

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