Hikawa Shrine, Tokyo

Both nagare and gongen style architecture are represented in these austere buildings, reflecting the taste of Yoshimune Tokugawa, the shogun who is associated with this shrine. A pair of splendid gingko trees greets the visitor at the top of the stone-stepped approach. Kaishu Katsu, who was pivotal in the smooth transition of the Meiji Restoration, lived in the vicinity of the shrine and even used its name in the title of his memoir, "Hikawa Sewa" (Pure Talk from Hikawa).