Tokugawa Clan Mausoleum — Attraction in Koya

Tokugawa Ieyasu played a major part in 17th century Japan and was the inspiration for the Toranaga character in Shogun. The mausoleum is an good place to visit if you're interested in either of those two things.. Unfortunately, there is not much to see, just the outside of the building, which resembles an ornate Buddhist temple. It is worth a stop if you're...

If you enjoy watching Japanese period dramas, make a stop here if you are around Koyasan. This mausoleum was built in 1643 by the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu in order for his family to have a mausoleum close to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. It consists of two buildings which enshrine Iemitsu's grandfather Ieyasu and father Hidetada, the first two...

For all the prominence of the surrounding religious sites in Kouya-san, I was surprised at how small and relatively obscure this site is. After a small fee, you can approach two small but ornately embellished wood structures. The finishings are masterful but a heavy patina obscures...