Meiji Jingu is the Shinto shrine
dedicated to the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Emperor Shoken. Emperor
Meiji passed away in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914. After their demise, people wished to
commemorate their virtues and to venerate them forever, and so this shrine was
constructed, and their souls were enshrined on November 1, 1920.
It consists of three areas: Naien, or the inner precinct, centred on the shrine
buildings; Gaien, or the outer precinct, which includes the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
and sports facilities; and the Meiji Memorial Hall. These areas are covered by an
evergreen forest of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people
from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established. This 700,000 square-meter forest
is visited by many people both as a spiritual home of the people and as a recreation and
relaxation area centre of Tokyo. |
