Sacred Stable - Nikko, Japon
Posted by: 
denben
N 36° 45.428 E 139° 35.942
54S E 374948 N 4068845
This sign is next to the Sacred Stable of Nikko Tosho-gu, a Shinto shrine in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
Waymark Code: WMZ8DH
Location: Tochigi, Japan
Date Posted: 09/28/2018
Views: 2
Together with Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji, Nikko Tosho-gu forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 42 structures of the shrine included in the nomination. Five of them are designated as National Treasures of Japan, and three more as Important Cultural Properties.
The stable of the sacred horse at Nikko is decorated with monkeys. It is believed that on New Year’s eve these monkeys come to life and, dressed up in Shinto-priest’s garments, pay honour to their companion … Formerly monkeys were kept in the imperial stables to (it is wrongly said) keep the horses from sleeping. Artists originally inspired by the monkeys of Nikko have often depicted them in human dress, but the monkeys of the sarumawashi too are always dressed up monkeys.
The frieze of carvings of the Sacred Stable is about eight to ten feet off the ground. Each panel is about five feet wide by three feet tall, and they wrap around two sides of the building. An overhang has kept the carvings in decent condition.
The sign reads: "Sacred Stable (Shinkyu) - This stable was home to the horse that Lord Tokugawa leyasu rode during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 that unified Japan under Tokugawa rule. After the death of Lord Tokugawa's horse, subsequent Shoguns presented horses to the Toshogu Shrine. This is the only undecorated wooden building at the Toshogu Shrine, and is divided into a space for the horse to the left, and an area to the right with tatami mats for the horse's handler. This building is famous for its freize of monkeys that teach how to lead an ideal life. One of the 8 panels teaches children to avoid trouble in life, to "See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil."
Sources: (
visit link) and (
visit link)