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Tokugawake Reidai

Mausoleum of Shogun Ieyasu and Hidetada

In 1643, Iemitsu Tokugawa, the third shogun of the Tokugawa family, established the Tokugawa Family Mausoleum on Koyasan, which houses the tomb of his grandfather Ieyasu Tokugawa and his father Hidetada Tokugawa. The two tombs stand side-by-side with exteriors covered with elaborate wooden carvings.

Ieyasu Tokugawa established the Edo shogunate in the early 17th century, and the next 15 shoguns of the Tokugawa family held power for 264 years. 1616 Ieyasu Tokugawa died in Shizuoka and was buried in Nikko Toshogu Shrine, and in 1632 his son Hidetada Tokugawa passed away and was buried in Tokyo’s Zojo-ji Temple.

Manywhere Trivia:
Twelve of the fifteen Tokugawa family shoguns are buried in Zojo-ji Temple and Kan’ei-ji Temple in Tokyo.

In 1643, the third shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa chose Koyasan to set up a Tokugawa Family Mausoleum for his grandfather Ieyasu and father Hidetada, at the foot of Kobo Daishi's Burial Place. The two Mausoleums stand side by side, both are Hougyou-zukuri Style Buildings. The Torii in front of Ieyasu's Mausoleum on the right side is the only difference between the two.

Tokugawake Reidai is a representative of the Edo period Mausoleum architecture in Japan, and the shrine Kara-hafu Gable 唐破風 is very eye-catching, with its exterior covered with exquisite wooden carvings. The Mausoleum interiors are outlined in gold lacquer, which is extremely luxurious.

On the east side of the temple, there was a shrine for the rest of the Tokugawa shoguns and family members, which was destroyed by fire in 1888.