Toshogu Shrine

Toshogu Shrine (東照宮, Toshogu) is a mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that lasted for more than 250 years. It was first built in 1617, but his grandson Tokugawa Iemitsu expanded the shrine to its immaculate state. Toshogu Shrine required 9,000 people to work on it every day from 1634 until its completion in 1636. On the grounds of the Toshogu Shrine are dozens of buildings like the five story pagoda placed in a serene forest. Toshogu Shrine contains both elements of Shinto and Buddhist religions because the Meiji Restoration was unable to completely separate the two. The shrine is beautifully decorated in hundreds of wood carvings. Three of the most notable are the “see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil” monkeys, sleeping cat and Sozonozo elephants. Beyond the impressive Yomeimon Gate is the main shrine building. Inside are the haiden (praying hall) and honden (main hall), which are dedicated to the spirits of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Minamoto Yoritomo. Hideyoshi and Yoritomo were both influential leaders and historical personalities during their time. The Sakashitamon Gate is the beginning of a flight of stairs through a wooded area to the simple yet dignified mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu.