JAPAN - CASTLES, TEMPLES

Kiyomizu-dera temple

Kiyomizu-dera is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. The temple was founded in 798, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633, during a ordered by the Tokugawa Iemitsu. There is not a single nail used in the entire structure. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps. 

Received from: Hiroshi

Iga Ueno Castle

Iga Ueno Castle, also known as Ueno Castle and Hakuho Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Construction on Iga Ueno Castle began in 1585 by the command of Takigawa Katsutoshi. In 1935, the tenshu of Iga Ueno Castle was re-constructed out of wood. It houses a museum which holds a collection of artifacts relating to the area's history. Most other parts of the castle lie in ruins, though the towering honmaru walls still stand.

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: graodecafe

Nagoya castle

Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, central Japan. During the Edo period, Nagoya Castle was the center of one of the most important castle towns in Japan—Nagoya-juku— and it included the most important stops along the Minoji, which linked the Tōkaidō with the Nakasendō. The castle complex is made up of several enceintes, which are divided by the outer moat (Soto-bori) and inner moat (Uchi-bori). Each enceinte is protected by walls with turrets strategically located at each corner. Access from one enceinte to the next was controlled by guarded gates that were accessible by bridges. The castle is a good example of the type built on flat lands.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Megumaru

Toshodaiji Temple

Tōshōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Ritsu sect in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Classic Golden Hall, also known as the kondō, has a single story, hipped tiled roof with a seven bay wide facade. It is considered the archetype of "classical style." It was founded by a Chinese Buddhist monk named Jianzhen during the Nara period in the year 759. Tōshōdai-ji is one of the places in Nara that UNESCO has designated as World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara".

 

 

 

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Nozomi

Katsura Rikyu

The Katsura Imperial Villa, or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan. Its gardens are a masterpiece of Japanese gardening, and the buildings are even more important, one of the greatest achievements of Japanese architecture. The palace includes a shoin ("drawing room"), tea houses, and a strolling garden. It provides an invaluable window into the villas of princes of the Edo period.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps and postmark.

Received from: Chieusa