A is a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

in which

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

(1543–1616), the founder of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

, is enshrined. Tōshō-gūs are found throughout Japan. The most well-known Tōshō-gū is the Nikkō Tōshō-gū located in

Nikkō is a Cities of Japan, city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city's population was 80,239, in 36,531 households. The population density was 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Nikkō is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

Tochigi Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,897,649 (1 June 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi ...

. It is one of Japan's most popular destinations for

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

and is part of " Shrines and Temples of Nikkō"

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Ueno Tōshō-gū is a Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine located in the Taitō Special wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. First established in 1627 by Tōdō Takatora and renovated in 1651 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shrine has remained mostly intact since that time, ma ...

Ueno Park is a spacious public park in the Ueno, Tokyo, Ueno district of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. The park was established in 1873 on lands formerly belonging to the Buddhist temples in Japan, temple of Kan'ei-ji. Amongst the country's first public parks, i ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

is also widely known. The

Kunōzan Tōshō-gū The is a Shintō shrine in Suruga-ku in the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the original burial place of the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is thus the oldest of the Tōshō-gū shrines ...

is in

Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...

and rivals Nikkō's for decorative splendor. Another one is the

Nagoya Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine located in central Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. History Tōshō-gū is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. It was built in 1619 (Genna 5) on the orders of Lord Tokugawa Yoshinao of Owari ...

, constructed in 1619. A Tōshō-gū can also be found at Miyanochō, in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

these shrines reached 500 in number, but after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

many were abandoned, and others united with shrines in the area. Presently, it is estimated that there are about 130 Tōshō-gū. The National Tōshō-gū Association lists a total of 48 shrines. Ieyasu was deified with the name , meaning "Great Gongen, Light of the East" (a '' gongen'' is a

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

who has appeared on Earth in the form of a ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' to save sentient beings), and this is what gives ''Tōshō-gū'' shrines their name.

Gallery of Tōshō-gū shrines

File:Karamon of Nikko Tosho Shrine.JPG, Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Nikkō, Tochigi File:Haiden of Kunozan Toshogu.jpg,

Shizuoka, Shizuoka File:Wongwt 上野東照宮 (17098019409).jpg,

Tokyo, Tokyo File:Sendai Tōshō-gū haiden.jpg, Sendai Tōshō-gū
Sendai, Miyagi File:NagasakiToshogu.jpg,
Nagasaki, Nagasaki File:Shiba Toshogu 07.JPG, Shiba Tōshō-gū
Tokyo, Tokyo File:140321 Reikyu-jinja Shimabara Nagasaki pref Japan03s3.jpg, Reikyū Shrine
Shimabara, Nagasaki File:Houraisantoushouguu1.JPG,

Hōraisan Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Shinshiro, Aichi, Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It enshrines the deified first Shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu. History The Hōraisan Tōshō-gū was established by Shōgun Tokug ...

Shinshiro, Aichi

References

External links

Toshogu.net
(in Japanese) * National Archives of Japan

Shinto shrines in Japan {{Tokugawa Faith

Gallery of Tōshō-gū shrines

See also

References

External links