Toshogu Shrine

What to know

Toshogu Shrine (東照宮, Tōshōgū) is a magnificent memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Ieyasu is enshrined at Toshogu as the deity Tosho Daigongen, "Great Deity of the East Shining Light". Initially a relatively simple mausoleum, Toshogu was enlarged into the spectacular complex seen today by Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the first half of the 17th century.

The lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen buildings set in a beautiful forest. Countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf were used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan, where simplicity has been traditionally stressed in shrine architecture.

Visitors may note that Toshogu contains both Shinto and Buddhist elements. It was common for places of worship to contain elements of both religions until the Meiji Period when Shinto was deliberately separated from Buddhism. Across the country, Buddhist elements were removed from shrines and vice versa, but at Toshogu the two religions were so intermingled that the separation was not carried out completely.

Among the many buildings at Toshogu, particularly notable ones include a pretty five story pagoda in front of the main entrance gate. The main pillar of the pagoda hangs ten centimeters above ground - an interesting feature installed to combat the lengthening and shrinkage of the wood over time. The interior of the pagoda is not usually open to the public.

The paid area starts at the entrance gate. Upon entering, visitors will first come across a group of ostentatiously built storehouses. Of the many colorful and elaborate wood carvings that decorate the storehouses, the most famous ones are those of the "see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil" monkeys and the Sozonozo Elephants ("imagined elephants") that were carved by an artist who had never seen elephants.

Past the storehouses stands the renowned Yomeimon Gate, perhaps Japan's most ornate structure, giving off a grand air with its intricate decorations and architectural features.