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Kunōzan Tōshō-gū National treasure of Japan
Mount Kunō (216 meters) is a steep peak on Suruga Bay, and the site of an ancient Buddhist temple called Kunō-ji (久能寺) dating to at least the early Nara period. The temple prospered during the Kamakura period under the famous prelate Enni, who introduced the cultivation of green tea to the region. After the conquest of Suruga Province by the warlord Takeda Shingen, the temple was relocated to what is now Shimizu-ku, and the mountain top fortified into a mountain castle (Kunō-jo [久能城]). After the fall of the Takeda clan, Suruga Province came under the control of the Tokugawa clan.
After Tokugawa Ieyasu retired to Sumpu Castle, he continued to maintain the fortifications on Mount Kunō. After his death, Tokugawa Hidetada ordered that he be buried on its peak, and had the first shrine buildings erected. The 3rd Shōgun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, relocated Ieyasu's grave to the Nikkō Tōshō-gū, but a portion of his deified spirit was held to still reside on Mount Kunō. The shrine was kept in good repair by the Sumpu jōdai until the Meiji Restoration.
With the overthrow of the Tokugawa by the new Meiji government, and the subsequent separation of Buddhism and Shintō, the Kunōzan Tōshō-gū suffered the loss of a number of its structures and much of its revenue. At the present, most of the surviving buildings of the Kunōzan Tōshō-gū are protected by the national government as Important Cultural Properties and the whole mountain is protected as a National Historic Site.
On December 24, 2010,”Haiden, Isi-no-ma, Honden" of Kunouzan was designated a National Treasure.
The Japanese government has designated 13 structures of the Kunō-zan Tōshō-gū as National Important Cultural Properties (ICP). These include the Honden and Heiden which were built in 1617, and show the flamboyant, colorful style of the late Momoyama period, with extravagant wood carvings, gold leaf and painted decorations over black lacquer.
In addition to these buildings, Kunō-zan Tōshō-gū also has a number of art treasures, which are on display at its museum. These include a number of tachi (Japanese swords), one of which is a National Treasure, and 12 of which (including one wakizashi ) are Important Cultural Properties. Additional Important Cultural Properties include two suits of armor, pair of eyeglasses and a clock owned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, along with 73 documents in his own handwriting.
( I quoted it than Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kun%C5%8Dzan_T%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D-g%C5%AB )
The eight islands of Japan sprang into existence through Divine Intervention.The first two gods who came into existence were Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, the Exalted Male and Exalted Female. It was their job to make the land for people to live on.They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and, using a jewel-encrusted halberd, Izanagi and Izanami churned up the sea into a frothy foam. As salty drips of water fell from the tip of the halberd the first island was formed. Its name was Onogoro.So far, so good. But when Izanagi and Izanami first met on their island, Izanami spoke to Isanagi without being spoken to first. Since she was the female, and this was improper, their first union created badly-formed offspring who were sent off into the sea in boats.The next time they met, Izanagi was sure to speak first, ensuring the proper rules were followed, and this time they produced eight children, which became the islands of Japan.I'm sure you did not fail to miss the significance of this myth for the establishment of Japanese formal society.At present, Japan is the financial capital of Asia. It has the second largest economy in the world and the largest metropolitan area (Tokyo.)Technically there are three thousand islands making up the Japanese archipelago. Izanagi and Izanami must have been busy little devils with their jewelled halberd...Japan's culture is highly technical and organized. Everything sparkles and swooshes on silent, miniaturized mechanisms.They're a world leader in robotics, and the Japanese have the longest life-expectancy on earth.Text by Steve Smith.
