Thursday, March 13, 2008

Nikko, Japan - Commemorative Cards/Type

Basically the most inspiring spot on the recent DC Art Dept. trip to Japan (for me at least). 100 or so miles north of Tokyo, in the foothills of big mountain range, w/ a nice river, is Nikko. Established in 780 AC (roughly) as a temple for Buddhist monks many more holy places were established and now you can get a great bowl of veggie yaki soba too. Here are the highlight pics w/ a custom typeface that is suitable because it is not.

This temple houses on of the biggest buddhas in the world (wooden?) and is also home to Horse Headed Kanon, one of my favorite deitys in the Buddhist pantheon.

Taiyun-Byo: A mausoleum to the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord that took control of Japan and who also rests in Nikko.

Pagoda. A shinto motif predating Buddhist prevalence.

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