Model of the Taitokuin Mausoleum
The centerpiece of the Treasures Gallery is the 1:10 scale architectural model of the Taitokuin Mausoleum, the original burial site of the second Tokugawa shogun, Hidetada (1579–1632) whose posthumous Buddhist name was Taitokuin. The mausoleum was built in 1632 by his son Iemitsu (1604–1651), and its elaborate architecture and magnificent decoration are thought to be a prototype for the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, which Iemitsu later had built by the same craftsmen to enshrine Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. Sadly, the Taitokuin mausoleum, along with most of Zojoji Temple, was left in ruins by the 1945 air raids.
This detailed model was commissioned by the city of Tokyo and built by a team of 150 carpenters and artisans to showcase Japanese culture and technology at the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition held at White City, London. The event was a huge success, with over eight million visitors over five months. After the exhibition, the model was presented to King George V and displayed at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, before being dismantled and stored as part of the Royal Collection.
The model remained there until it was rediscovered with the help of scholar William H. Coaldrake, and returned to Zojoji on loan for public display. An exhibition space was created in the basement of the Daiden Great Hall and, after months of careful restoration, the model went on display in 2015.
Some 4 meters wide and 6 meters long, the model consists of the Main Hall and Worship Hall joined by a connecting hall, all surrounded by a fence with an inner gate. The roof of the Main Hall is shown in a separate case to allow an unobstructed view of the decoration of the interior as well as the details of its construction. Coaldrake observed at the time that “[this is] not only a model of a once-great building, it [is] also a work of sublime artistic accomplishment in its own right, exemplifying the highest technical and aesthetic standards of Japanese traditional craftsmanship.”
Zojoji Temple Treasures Gallery
Location: First basement of the Daiden of Zojoji Temple
Hours: 10:00 a.m. ~ 4:00 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays, except on national holidays
Admission fee: Adults: ¥700 (tax included)
Treasures Gallery and Tokugawa shogunate graveyard: ¥1,000