Meiji Shrine
Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine
that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his
wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's
grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto.
After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a
resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris
garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had
been known to visit was chosen as the building's location.
Construction began in 1915 under Itō Chūta, and the shrine was
built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, using primarily Japanese
cypress and copper. The building of the shrine was a national project,
mobilizing youth groups and other civic associations from throughout
Japan, who contributed labor and funding. It was formally dedicated
in 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by
1926. Until 1946, the Meiji Shrine was officially designated one of
the Kanpei-taisha, meaning that it stood in the first rank of
government supported shrines.
Photo a23, 1987