introduction

The history and culture of Mount Nikko, a sacred site whose origins can be traced back to the seventh century.

The Nikko Toshogu Temple and the Taiyuin Reibyo are situated at the apex of the mausoleum architecture that flourished in pre-modern Japan.

The beauty of ornate, complex and highly decorated buildings is diametrically contrasted with the aesthetic standards of 20th century modernist architecture.

A cultural site without parallel anywhere in the world consisting of a group of 103 heritage buildings and the woods which enclose them.

The efforts made by people in the past to conserve and repair the buildings and traditional conservation skills handed down to the present in order to transmit the heritage on to future generations.

We need to consider once again what is involved in protecting and handing on cultural heritages, and we must renew our awareness of how important it is to hand on this mission to the future.