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 the

Taitō is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is known as Taitō City. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 186,276, and a population density of 18,420 persons per km2. The total area is . Thi ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

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 ...

. First established in 1627 by

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 ...

and renovated in 1651 by

Tokugawa 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 ...

, the shrine has remained mostly intact since that time, making it a great example of Shinto architecture in 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 ...

. Several of those surviving structures have been designated Important Cultural Property (Japan), Important Cultural Properties. '' Tōshō-gū'' shrines are characterized by enshrining Tokugawa Ieyasu with the name Tōshō Daigongen (東照大権現). ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' also enshrines two other Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa ''shōguns'', Tokugawa Yoshimune and Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Located inside of Ueno Park, ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' has become a popular attraction.

History

Ueno Tōshō-gū is said to have been built in 1627, by

. It is known that in 1627 it was dedicated to the memory of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616), the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of

, which effectively ruled Japan from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. In 1651 the ''honden'' of the shrine was rebuilt in the Ishi-no-ma-zukuri, gongen-zukuri style by

(1604–1651), grandson of Ieyasu and the third Tokugawa ''shōgun''. Until 1868, the shrine was part of the Tendai Buddhism, Buddhist temple Kan'ei-ji. Unlike many of the buildings in the surrounding area, Ueno Tōshō-gū has remained intact throughout the numerous earthquakes, fires and wars, including the Battle of Ueno in 1868 and the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, Great Kantō earthquake in 1923. Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684–1751) and Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1837–1913) are also enshrined in Ueno Tōshō-gū.

Architecture

Karamon

A is a type of Mon (architecture), mon in Japanese architecture characterized by the use of , a type of curved gable with a style peculiar to

. The ''karamon'' at ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' was built in 1651, and it is designated an Important Cultural Property (Japan), Important Cultural Property. File:Golden gate of Ueno Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine, Tokyo, Japan.jpg, front view of the ''karamon'' File:Ueno Tōshō-gū DSC02766.JPG, back view of the ''karamon'' File:Gate - Ueno Tōshō-gū - DSC02003.JPG, detail of the back of the ''karamon'' File:Ueno Toshogu 05.JPG, ''karamon'' in 2008, before restoration The pillars of the gate are decorated with two carved Chinese dragon, dragons. They are known as and , and according to the legend, every night the two dragons go to the nearby Shinobazu Pond to drink from its water. There carvings are attributed to the perhaps fictiona artist .English information panel at Ueno Tōshō-gū ''Jingorō'' is also credited with some of the decoration at the famous Nikkō Tōshō-gū in Nikkō, Tochigi, Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture. In addition to the gold foil, there are several hand carved decorations, including flowers, birds and dragons on both sides of the gates. It is said that the carvings on the gate and on the wall depict a total of over two hundred species of plants and animals. File:Toshogu Shrine - Karamon (Chinese-style gate) 02 (15567616950).jpg, detail of one of the dragon carvings File:Ueno Tōshō-gū DSC02761.JPG, detail of bird carvings File:Ueno Tōshō-gū DSC02765.JPG, detail of dragons on one of the back pillars File:Wongwt 上野東照宮 (16663971763).jpg, dragon carving on the back

Honden

The main building of the shrine is a in the ''Gongen-zukuri'' style, a complex

structure in which the ''haiden (Shinto), haiden'', or worship hall, the ''heiden (Shinto), heiden'', or offertory hall, and the ''honden'', are all interconnected under the same roof. The whole building dates from 1651, and it is designated an Important Cultural Property (Japan), Important Cultural Property. File:Wongwt 上野東照宮 (17098019409).jpg, front view of the ''haiden'' File:Shrine - Ueno Tōshō-gū - DSC02019.JPG, detail of the ''haiden'' File:Shrine - Ueno Tōshō-gū - DSC01981.JPG, side view of the ''haiden'' and ''heiden'' File:Shrine - Ueno Tōshō-gū - DSC01979.JPG, side view of the ''honden''

Access

There is no admission fee for visitors to enter most of the shrine precincts, but there is a fee (, 500 yen) in order to go beyond the karamon. This allows you see the back of the ''karamon'' and to get closer to the ''honden'', but the hall itself remains closed. There is an extra admission fee (, 700 yen) to enter the peony garden. The shrines opens at 9 am and closes at 4:30 pm (from October to February) or 5:30 pm (from March to September). The peony garden is open from January 1st to mid-February, and from mid-April to mid-May. ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' can be accessed via the following public transport options: * Shinkansen-E

Ueno Station * Keisei Ueno Station * Nezu Station

References

External links

Ueno Tōshō-gū Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ueno Tosho-gu 1627 establishments in Japan Shinto shrines in Tokyo Buildings and structures in Taitō Ueno Park Important Cultural Properties of Japan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1651 Tōshō-gū