is a
Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
located in the city of
Wakayama Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It enshrines the deified first
Shōgun of the
Tokugawa shogunate,
Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is also known as the
History
The Kishū Tōshō-gū was established by
Tokugawa Yorinobu, the tenth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, in 1621 as the general guardian of the
Nankaidō region. It was modeled in the
Azuchi–Momoyama style as the
Nikkō Tōshō-gū, and had sculptures by
Hidari Jingorō and ''
fusuma'' paintings by
Kanō Tan'yū. Black lacquer and red lacquer were applied both inside and outside, and the structures and sculptures were brilliantly colored and plated with metal fittings. The shrine is situated on Mount Saiga, which is located on a cove of Wakaura Bay, with a sand spit resembling the
Ama-no-hashidate on the right. Construction on the shrine was begun in 1619, in preparation for Tokugawa Yorinobu officially entering
Kii Province and becoming ''
daimyō'' of
Kishū Domain. After his death, his spirit was worshipped as the ''
kami'' alongside that of , or the deified Tokugawa Ieyasu. Prior to the
Meiji restoration, the shrine also had a Three-story pagoda and a Yakushi-do chapel, but these were removed per he ''
Shinbutsu bunri
The Japanese term indicates the separation of Shinto from Buddhism, introduced after the Meiji Restoration which separated Shinto ''kami'' from buddhas, and also Buddhist temples from Shinto shrines, which were originally amalgamated. It is a ...
'' decrees of the new
Meiji government. The shrine was designated as a prefectural shrine under
State Shinto
was Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that emphasized the Emperor as ...
's
Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines.
Cultural Properties
Several structures in the Kishū Tōshō-gū are National
Important Cultural Properties. These include the two-story
Rōmon
The is one of two types of two-storied gate used in Japan (the other one being the ''nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shin ...
gate,
the main shrine complex containing the
Honden
In Shinto shrine architecture, the , also called , or sometimes as in Ise Shrine's case, is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined ''kami'', usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a sta ...
and
Haiden,
East Corridor,
West Corridor,
Gate,
East Wall
and West Wall
Gallery
Kisyu Toshogu romon2.jpg, Rōmon (ICP)
Kisyu Toshogu sando2.jpg, Approach to the shrine
Kisyu Toshogu 2019-08-11(1) sa.jpg, Torii
See also
*
Tōshō-gū
*
List of Tōshō-gū
References
External links
Wakamatsuri Kishū Tōshō-gū site
Wakayama Prefectural Tourist Association
1621 establishments in Japan
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1621
Shinto shrines in Wakayama Prefecture
Tōshō-gū
Wakayama (city)
Kii Province
Ishi-no-ma-zukuri
{{Tokugawa Faith