Travels to Japan - Nikko, pt 3 - Fantastic Wood Carvings
By Ali Canary
@AliCanary (4459)
March 11, 2017 5:14pm CST
One amazing thing about the shrine at Nikko that can't be missed is the intricate wooden carvings throughout. In a nice contrast to the graceful, minimalist swoop of the architecture, there are decorative embellishments that put Victorian "gingerbread" to shame. Above is a picture of the intricately carved and painted dragon relief in one of the eaves of the shrine. The amount of time and skill that went into making such a thing is just mind-blowing!
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8 responses

@JudyEv (382814)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Mar 17
@AliCanary I guess so. And I guess some 'artists' now spend months or years on various projects.
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@AliCanary (4459)
•
12 Mar 17
@JudyEv - It can take a very long time to do some art projects (some of it is procrastination, some of it is not being able to work on something long, and some of it is the nature of the project itself, like waiting for things to dry or to set properly).
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@AliCanary (4459)
•
12 Mar 17
Well, the average Japanese person works six days a week, but back then, I expect these artisans simply worked from sunup to sundown every day.
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@teamfreak16 (43705)
• Denver, Colorado
12 Mar 17
Wow, what a cool photo. I can only imagine actually seeing it in person.
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@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
30 May 17
Yes one marvels at the intricacy and the work put into making these incredible embellishments.
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@AliCanary (4459)
•
31 May 17
I know--it must take ages to make all those things!
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@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
11 Mar 17
Those carvings really are amazing. Imagine the time it took to do some of these?
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@AliCanary (4459)
•
12 Mar 17
SO long! And it's such painstaking work--you can't mess up with wood.
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@workathomefan (8957)
• Prairieville, Louisiana
11 Mar 17
I have never been outside the United States.
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@AliCanary (4459)
•
12 Mar 17
Hope you get a chance to see other places--it's a wonderful experience!
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@AliCanary (4459)
•
12 Mar 17
You're welcome--I know lots of people might not make it to see them in person. I always appreciate seeing pictures from other people's travels.
@responsiveme (22923)
• India
8 May 17
Those dragons needed a lot of time to be made
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