Login

Nikko Toshogu Shrine

Where Ieyasu Tokugawa Rests

Nikko Toshogu Shrine is the main shrine of all the Toshogu Shrines in Japan, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was buried here in 1617. It has magnificent national treasures such as the Yomeimon Gate, Karamon Gate, and beautiful sculptures such as The Sleeping Cat and The Three Wise Monkeys.

In 1616 Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate in Japan, passed away at the age of 74 in Sumpu Castle 駿府城 (present-day Shizuoka City). In accordance with his wishes, Tokugawa Ieyasu was buried at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine 久能山東照宮 in Shizuoka after his death, one year later in 1617 he was Moved to Nikko Toshogu Shrine.

Nikko Toshogu Shrine 日光東照宮 is the main shrine of all the Toshogu Shrines in Japan. It was built in 1617, and most of the existing buildings were built by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun, in 1636. Nikko Toshogu Shrine, as part of the Shrines and Temples of Nikko, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999.

Manywhere Trivia:
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first person in Japan to wear glasses.

Nikko Toshogu Shrine has 8 national treasures and more than 30 important cultural property buildings, such as Karamon Gate 唐門, the Main Hall 本殿, Yomeimon Gate 陽明門, etc. Its splendor and luxury are contrary to the low-key and simple style of Japanese temples, Yomeimon Gate is considered to be the most magnificent shrine gate in Japan. The gate is 7 meters wide and 11 meters high, and there are More than 500 Carvings of Ancient Stories inside and outside the gate, and it is said that one could look at them until sunset, which is why it is also called “Higurashi no Mon, the Sundown Gate”.

In the area of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, there are many beautiful carvings featuring animals, including The Sleeping Cat and the Three Wise Monkeys. The Sleeping Cat is located in the corridor at the entrance to the Inner Palace of Toshogu Shrine, and features a kitten curled up under peony blossoms, and is said to have been made by the Japanese sculptor, Hidari Jingoro 左甚五郎. The eight groups of monkey carvings in the sacred stable house reflect the lives of ordinary people, and the second group of Three Wise Monkeys are lifelike carvings with three small monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouths with their hands, who hear, speak and see no evil, a traditional symbol in Chinese and Japanese culture.