diff --git a/baseapp/baseapp.go b/baseapp/baseapp.go
index 73b2de49d8..7640c1d94c 100644
--- a/baseapp/baseapp.go
+++ b/baseapp/baseapp.go
@@ -241,18 +241,7 @@ func (app *BaseApp) InitChain(req abci.RequestInitChain) (res abci.ResponseInitC
 		// TODO Return something intelligent
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	err = app.Router().ForEach(func(r string, _ sdk.Handler, i sdk.InitGenesis) error {
-		if i != nil {
-			encoded, exists := (*genesisState)[r]
-			if !exists {
-				// TODO should this be a Cosmos SDK standard error?
-				return errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Expected module genesis information for module %s but it was not present", r))
-			} else {
-				return i(app.deliverState.ctx, encoded)
-			}
-		}
-		return nil
-	})
+	err = app.Router().InitGenesis(app.deliverState.ctx, *genesisState)
 	if err != nil {
 		// TODO Return something intelligent
 		panic(err)
diff --git a/baseapp/baseapp_test.go b/baseapp/baseapp_test.go
index a90c39d541..23abf7fd7f 100644
--- a/baseapp/baseapp_test.go
+++ b/baseapp/baseapp_test.go
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func TestInitChainer(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// set initChainer and try again - should see the value
 	app.SetInitChainer(initChainer)
-	app.InitChain(abci.RequestInitChain{AppStateBytes: []byte("{}")})
+	app.InitChain(abci.RequestInitChain{AppStateBytes: []byte("{}")}) // must have valid JSON genesis file, even if empty
 	app.Commit()
 	res = app.Query(query)
 	assert.Equal(t, value, res.Value)
diff --git a/baseapp/router.go b/baseapp/router.go
index 5012d48cf4..17be883092 100644
--- a/baseapp/router.go
+++ b/baseapp/router.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package baseapp
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"regexp"
 
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
@@ -10,8 +12,7 @@ import (
 type Router interface {
 	AddRoute(r string, h sdk.Handler, i sdk.InitGenesis) (rtr Router)
 	Route(path string) (h sdk.Handler)
-	RouteGenesis(path string) (i sdk.InitGenesis)
-	ForEach(func(r string, h sdk.Handler, i sdk.InitGenesis) error) error
+	InitGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, data map[string]json.RawMessage) error
 }
 
 // map a transaction type to a handler and an initgenesis function
@@ -46,34 +47,29 @@ func (rtr *router) AddRoute(r string, h sdk.Handler, i sdk.InitGenesis) Router {
 	return rtr
 }
 
-// TODO handle expressive matches.
-func matchRoute(path string, route string) bool {
-	return path == route
-}
-
 // Route - TODO add description
+// TODO handle expressive matches.
 func (rtr *router) Route(path string) (h sdk.Handler) {
 	for _, route := range rtr.routes {
-		if matchRoute(path, route.r) {
+		if route.r == path {
 			return route.h
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (rtr *router) RouteGenesis(path string) (i sdk.InitGenesis) {
+// InitGenesis - call `InitGenesis`, where specified, for all routes
+// Return the first error if any, otherwise nil
+func (rtr *router) InitGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, data map[string]json.RawMessage) error {
 	for _, route := range rtr.routes {
-		if matchRoute(path, route.r) {
-			return route.i
-		}
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (rtr *router) ForEach(f func(string, sdk.Handler, sdk.InitGenesis) error) error {
-	for _, route := range rtr.routes {
-		if err := f(route.r, route.h, route.i); err != nil {
-			return err
+		if route.i != nil {
+			encoded, found := data[route.r]
+			if !found {
+				return sdk.ErrGenesisParse(fmt.Sprintf("Expected module genesis information for module %s but it was not present", route.r))
+			}
+			if err := route.i(ctx, encoded); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/types/errors.go b/types/errors.go
index ca16584ecc..1115d39376 100644
--- a/types/errors.go
+++ b/types/errors.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ const (
 	CodeInsufficientCoins CodeType = 10
 	CodeInvalidCoins      CodeType = 11
 
-	CodeGenesisParse CodeType = 0xdead // TODO: remove ?
+	CodeGenesisParse CodeType = 0xdead // TODO: remove ? // why remove?
 )
 
 // NOTE: Don't stringer this, we'll put better messages in later.
diff --git a/types/initgenesis.go b/types/initgenesis.go
index 8b63568301..ff3c03cf4d 100644
--- a/types/initgenesis.go
+++ b/types/initgenesis.go
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 )
 
-/* Run only once on chain initialization, should write genesis state to store
-   or throw an error if some required information was not provided, in which case
-   the application will panic. */
+// Run only once on chain initialization, should write genesis state to store
+// or throw an error if some required information was not provided, in which case
+// the application will panic.
 type InitGenesis func(ctx Context, data json.RawMessage) error
diff --git a/x/auth/rest/query.go b/x/auth/rest/query.go
index 1ef9abe449..22c364ccda 100644
--- a/x/auth/rest/query.go
+++ b/x/auth/rest/query.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import (
 type commander struct {
 	storeName string
 	cdc       *wire.Codec
-	decoder    sdk.AccountDecoder
+	decoder   sdk.AccountDecoder
 }
 
 func QueryAccountRequestHandler(storeName string, cdc *wire.Codec, decoder sdk.AccountDecoder) func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Request) {