is a

Tōshō-gū A is a Shinto shrine in which Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is enshrined. List of Tōshō-gū, Tōshō-gūs are found throughout Japan. The most well-known Tōshō-gū is the Nikkō Tōshō-gū located i ...

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 ...

located in the

Taitō is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in 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 . This ...

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, 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 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. First established in 1627 by

Tōdō Takatora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the 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''. During his lifetime he changed his feudal master ...

and renovated in 1651 by

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

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

Shinto architecture Some examples of Shinto architecture Shinto architecture is the architecture of Japanese Shinto shrines. With a few exceptions like Ise Grand Shrine and Izumo Taisha, Shinto shrines before Buddhism were mostly temporary structures erected t ...

in 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 ...

. Several of those surviving structures have been designated Important Cultural Properties. ''

'' shrines are characterized by enshrining

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 ...

with the name Tōshō Daigongen (東照大権現). ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' also enshrines two other Tokugawa ''shōguns'',

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Yoshimune is know ...

and

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Kazoku, Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned his position as shogun in late 1867, while ai ...

. Located inside of

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 ...

, ''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

(1542–1616), the founder and first ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' 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 ...

, which effectively ruled Japan from the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

in 1600 until 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 ...

in 1868. In 1651 the ''honden'' of the shrine was rebuilt in the gongen-zukuri style by

(1604–1651), grandson of Ieyasu and the third Tokugawa ''shōgun''. Until 1868, the shrine was part of the

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple

Kan'ei-ji (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1625 during the Kan'ei era by Tenkai, in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center Enryaku-ji, in Kyoto. The main object of worship is .Nihon ...

. 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 The was a battle of the Boshin War, which occurred on July 4, 1868 (''Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month''), between the troops of the Shōgitai under Shibusawa Seiichirō and Amano Hachirō, and Imperial "Kangun" troops. Prelude Though the Sh� ...

in 1868 and the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923.

(1684–1751) and

(1837–1913) are also enshrined in Ueno Tōshō-gū.

Architecture

Karamon

A is a type of mon in

Japanese architecture has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors ('' fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space ...

characterized by the use of , a type of curved

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

with a style peculiar to

. The ''karamon'' at ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' was built in 1651, and it is designated an 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

dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

. They are known as and , and according to the legend, every night the two dragons go to the nearby

Shinobazu Pond The is a pond within Ueno Park (a spacious public park located in the Ueno, Tokyo, Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan), and a historically prominent Shitamachi feature often appearing in history and works of art. The park occupies the site of t ...

to drink from its water. There carvings are attributed to the perhaps fictional artist .English information panel at Ueno Tōshō-gū ''Jingorō'' is also credited with some of the decoration at the famous

Nikkō Tōshō-gū is a Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Together with Futarasan Shrine and Rinnō-ji, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 42 structures of the shrine included in the ...

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 ...

. 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'', or worship hall, the '' 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. 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 The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

) 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

) 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 1 to mid-February, and from mid-April to mid-May. ''Ueno Tōshō-gū'' can be accessed via the following public transport options: *

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other ...

Keisei Ueno Station is a railway station in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keisei Electric Railway. It is the terminus of the Keisei Main Line and is a short distance from JR Ueno Station. Layout The station is underground bene ...

* 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