is a
Tōshō-gū 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, meanin ...
located in
Nikkō,
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to th ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
.
Together with
Futarasan Shrine and
Rinnō-ji, it forms the
Shrines and Temples of Nikkō
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples of Nikkō encompasses 103 buildings or structures and the natural setting around them. It is located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The buildings belong to two Shinto shrines (Futarasan Shri ...
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
, with 42 structures of the shrine included in the nomination. Five of them are designated as
National Treasures of Japan
Some of the National Treasures of Japan
A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...
, and three more as
Important Cultural Properties.
History
Tōshō-gū is dedicated to
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
, the founder of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
. It was initially built in 1617, during the
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
, while Ieyasu's son
Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
was ''
shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...
''. It was enlarged during the time of the third shōgun,
Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third '' shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, w ...
. Ieyasu is enshrined there, where his remains are also entombed. This shrine was built by Tokugawa retainer
Tōdō Takatora
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''.
Biography
During his lifetime he changed his feudal ...
.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate carried out stately processions from
Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
to the Nikkō Tōshō-gū along the
Nikkō Kaidō. The shrine's annual spring and autumn festivals reenact these occasions, and are known as "processions of a thousand warriors". Also part of the beauty is the row of majestic trees lining the roadway, termed the
Cedar Avenue of Nikkō.
Five structures at Nikkō Tōshō-gū are categorized as
National Treasures of Japan
Some of the National Treasures of Japan
A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...
, and three more as
Important Cultural Properties. Additionally, two swords in the possession of the shrine are National Treasures, and lots other objects are Important Cultural Properties. Famous buildings at the Tōshō-gū include the richly decorated Yōmeimon, a gate that is also known as "higurashi-no-mon". The latter name means that one could look at it until sundown, and not tire of seeing it. Carvings in deep relief, painted in rich colors, decorate the surface of the structure. The next gate is the ''
karamon'' decorated with white ornaments. Located nearby is a woodcarving of a sleepy cat, "
Nemuri-neko", attributed to
Hidari Jingorō.
The stable of the shrine's sacred horses bears a carving of the
three wise monkeys, who hear, speak and see no evil, a traditional symbol in Japanese culture.
The original five-storey
pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
was donated by a ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...
'' in 1650, but it was burned down during a fire, and was rebuilt in 1818. Each storey represents an element–earth, water, fire, wind and aether (or void)–in ascending order. Inside the pagoda, a central ''
shinbashira'' pillar hangs from chains
[
] to minimize damage from earthquakes.
[
]
Hundreds of stone steps lead through the
cryptomeria forest up to the grave of Ieyasu. A
torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simple ...
at the top bears
calligraphy
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined ...
attributed to
Emperor Go-Mizunoo. A bronze
urn contains the remains of
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
.
In 2008, Yuri Kawasaki became the first female Shinto priest ever to serve at Nikkō Tōshō-gū.
1st female Shinto priest named at Nikko Toshogu
at Discover Seattle.net
Gallery
File:NikkoToriiTablet5127.jpg, alt=, Tablet reads "Tōshō Dai-Gongen" (東照大権現) on the ''torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simple ...
''. Attributed to Emperor Go-Mizunoo
File:NikkoRotatingLantern4994.jpg, alt=, Oranda dōrō (Dutch lantern) gifted by the Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
presented to the shōgun in 1643
File:NikkoBell4999.jpg, alt=, This bell gifted by the Korean Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
dynasty
File:Kagura-dono.jpg, alt=, A '' kagura-den'' situated within the temple
File:Karamon of Nikko Tosho Shrine.JPG, alt=, The ''karamon'', a notable architectural element found in Japanese cultural sites, situated within the shrine
File:AUnComposite.jpg, alt=, Statues of Nio
are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrap ...
guards the temple
File:Iron Lanterns.jpg, alt=, Iron lanterns donated by Daimyo
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally t ...
Date Masamune
was a regional ruler of Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful ''daimyō'' in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made ...
File:Bronze urn of Tokugawa Ieyasu.jpg, The urn (on the right) containing the remains of Tokugawa Ieyasu
See also
*List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)
The number of Shinto shrines in Japan today has been estimated at more than 150,000. Single structure shrines are the most common. Shrine buildings might also include oratories (in front of main sanctuary), purification halls, offering halls called ...
* List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords)
* Shinbashira, the central wooden column, almost freely suspended
References
External links
Official website (in english)
Official website (in japanese)
UNESCO website - Shrines and Temples of Nikko
Accessibility of Nikkō Tōshō-gū
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikko Tosho-gu
1617 establishments in Japan
Shinto shrines in Tochigi Prefecture
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1636
World Heritage Sites in Japan
National Treasures of Japan
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
Tōshō-gū