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Located in Ueno Koen, that this shrine can still exist in Tokyo today is something of a mystery. The original shrine is said to have been built in 1627 by the warrior Todo Takatora, daimyo of Iga and Ise. The wooden, intricately decorated Toshogu shrine survived repeated fire bombing raids, massive earthquakes, and even one of the major battles of the 1868 civil war. As a reminder of the days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, it is one of the few physical links Tokyo still has with its Edo period past.

Copper Lanterns from Daimyo

Todo Takatora was considered a shrewd and courageous leader, a highly capable administrator, and skilled castle architect. Once a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Todo had participated in the Korean campaigns), he decided to align himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu before the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. That success was rewarded, and by 1627 Todo Takatora had become a vassal of Tokugawa Iemitsu (Ieyasu's grandson and the 3rd Tokugawa Shogun). At that time, Tokugawa Iemitsu had not yet officially implemented the sankin-kotai system, but Todo Takatora maintained a yashiki (residence) in Edo, despite his feudal domain being relatively small at 300,000 koku, and Iga and Ise being many days travel away. To some extent, the ability of men like Todo Takatora to maintain yashiki in Edo may actually have encouraged the formal implementation of the sankin-kotai system, which was to become a key feature of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Carvings and Gold leaf

The deification of Tokugawa Ieyasu began early, particularly amongst key supporters and those who had a stake in maintaining the existence of the political and economic privileges they derived from shogunate rule. Raising the spirit of Tokugawa Ieyasu to the status of a deity meant that opposition to the shogunate took on more than just a political dimension. Tokugawa Ieyasu was originally enshrined at the beautiful Kunozan in Shizuoka after his death in 1616, not far from Sumpu castle where he had "retired" to in 1605 to spend the next 11 years pulling the strings of power from behind the scenes in time honored fashion in a successful effort to ensure the entrenchment of Tokugawa rule. After Kunozan, he was enshrined at Nikko. The building of shrines to Tokugawa Ieyasu began in earnest though when the imperial court in Kyoto (economically dependant on the Shogunate for provision of the needs of the imperial family and associated chamberlains and servants) conferred the title "Toshogu" on Ieyasu posthumously in 1646.

Sando - the shrine approach

The name "Toshogu" is a royal title. Literally translated, Toshogu means "Light of the East" or "Sun god of the east". Toshogu shrines were built accordingly throughout the country, often adjoining important temples or sites that had a family or personal connection with Tokugawa Ieyasu. There are about 200 Toshogu shrines in Japan, each built to enshrine Ieyasu as a deity. By the time the Ueno Toshogu in Tokyo was re-built in 1651 it could be said that it was for the "convenience" of the daimyo, who under the sankin-kotai system were by now required to spend 6 months of each year (or alternate periods for some daimyo) in Edo, and expected to pay homage to the founder of the regime.

Haiden exterior corridor

Each Toshogu, especially when compared to temples or shrines of a similar construction period, or the drab designs of much of the post-Tokugawa architecture, is beautifully painted and intricately decorated with wood carvings and in many cases gold leaf. For a visitor, the "best" in terms of beauty, architectural significance and history are Kunozan, Nikko, Takisan and (if you have sufficient time), Mount Horai. Tokugawa Iemitsu built the important ones, including the Ueno Toshogu on the site of Todo's earlier shrine.

The design and layout we see today is thought to be that ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu not Todo Takatora. Quite simply, the "renovations" completed in 1651 would have involved a very significant amount of rebuilding and re-design. Reaping the benefits of more than 50 years of economic growth due to the period of peace following the long and dark civil wars, Tokugawa Iemitsu was the most powerful of the shoguns. The strong economy had not yet been damaged by the isolationist policy he implemented. Financial and taxation reforms ensured that shogunate coffers were full, and throughout Japan much needed reconstruction of nationally important buildings proceeded apace.

National Treasures

Carvings on Haiden

Ueno Toshogu was declared a Tokyo municipal shrine in 1873, and in 1907 the Haiden, Karamon and Mizu-Gaki were declared National Treasure.

Haiden

The Haiden is the main structure and the hall of worship. This is where the priests and shrine maidens participate in the ceremonies of the Toshogu. Surrounded by open air corridors, you can walk around the building taking a good look at the intricate carvings and lacquerwork. All of the pillars and doors are covered in gold foil, the wood dyed red using vermillion, a natural pigment. These days much of the color has faded. It is fairly dark inside, but if you take the time to allow your eyes to adjust to the light, you can get a good viewing of the paintings on the walls and ceiling. These are believed to have been painted by members of the Kano school, it is unlikely that it would have been painted by Kano Tanu personally. Inside the Haiden, one interesting artifact is a large mirror dedicated to the shrine by Matsuura Takeshiro, one of the explorers and pioneers of Hokkaido. The mirror is actually a large map of Japan as it was in the Edo period - if you have trouble reading it please remember than on this map south is at the top, north at the bottom.

Karamon

Fruit tree between Haiden and Mizu-Gaki

The Karamon (chinese style) gate was an architectural style favored by the Tokugawa, who in addition to building Karamon in front of Toshogu shrines, often built them in their castles (see Nijo Castle in Kyoto) and other structures. Graceful curves, and ornate decorations are the key feature. This Karamon has openworked carvings of flowers and birds on both sides of the gate and makes extensive use of gold foil. Also worth examining at the Karamon, are two exquisitely carved dragons. These are said to have been carved by Hidari Jingoro, a noted Edo period sculptor. They are popularly known as the Noboriyu (ascending) and Kudariyu (descending) dragons.

Mizu-Gaki

The Mizu-Gaki is a beautiful wooden wall about 170 meters long that surrounds the Haiden. You can see through the wall, which is again ornately decorated with carvings of flowers, birds, fishes etc. It is the only wall of its kind remaining in Tokyo.

Copper Lanterns

Karamon viewed from Haiden

There are 50 large copper lanterns in front of the Karamon, many of them lining the path approaching the shrine. Each of these lanterns were made as offerings by daimyo making their official visits. If you look carefully at the base of each lantern, you will see the name of the daimyo who donated the lantern. The copper lanterns aer not used for lighting, but are instead used as part of the religious ceremonies (purification and for sacred fires). The Ueno lanterns are a little unusual since most Toshugu lanterns are carved from stone.

Haiden front

Apart from the interiors, it is unlikely that any of the original Toshogu structure remains. Wooden buildings require on-going maintenance, with rotten or damaged timber and fittings being removed and replaced as required. Even so, Ueno Toshogu is historic, both in terms of the integrity of the site as well as the artifacts preserved inside. It is something of a miracle though. On the 15th of May 1868 a major battle was fought near the Toshogu between supporters of the Tokugawa (including members of the famous Shinsengumi) and those forces supporting what is now called the Meiji Restoration. Kaneiji temple was almost totally destroyed (the 5 storied pagoda standing next to the grounds of the Toshogu is almost all that remained intact).

After this battle, the monasteries and temple structures were not rebuilt, and the precinct became the public park it is today. This also helped to preserve the Toshogu, as the park became a firebreak protecting the shrine from the massive firestorms that followed the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and the terrible incendiary bombings of 1945. There was some WWII damage, although this is diplomatically not mentioned in the English language pamphlet provided at the Toshogu gate, since it involved vandalism by soldiers of the Allied occupation taking items as souvenirs (read the Japanese version for the details).

10 Toshogu shrine is the historical pride of Ueno Park. Built in 1627 and remodeled 24 years later, it has hardly been touched since. It was undamaged in the battle of 1868 - an irony as the shrine is dedicated the memory of the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who wrested power away from the Emperor and established Edo as the capital. On the left before the main torii (gate) stands one of the three largest lanterns in Japan. Toshogu is open to the public from 9am-5pm, JY200, and while it might appear neglected it is one of the rare places preserved in its almost original state. The armor and sword of the shogun are still there, along with maps and artifacts of the era. The two dragons carved on the front gate are said to be so lifelike they go drink at the pond every night.

Roofline of Haiden

Entry to the Toshogu is 200 yen for adults. Bookings are not required.

Tours - Japan Discovery visits the Ueno Toshogu Shrine.
Click here for more information regarding when Discovery visits this destination.

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Stage and memorial

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