Toshogu Shrine is the most visited place in Nikko. It is the burial site of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years, until 1868. (The shrine is being renovated in stages from 2007 to 2024, but only a few buildings are being worked on a time.)
The five story pagoda stands in front of the main entrance gate area.
From this point forward is the paid entrance area. The cost of a ticket is 1300 yen. That sounds rather pricy for a shrine admission, but I think it was worth it. It was beautiful and interesting and I'm sure the upkeep on this place is high.
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| These elephants were thought to be carved by an artist who had never seen real elephants. |
The monkey carvings are very popular. This is why I chose the monkeys for my wood carving experience.
It seems like every shrine and temple has a million steps, but this one really had a lot of steps. These steps lead up to the Yomeimon Gate, said to be the most ornate structure in Japan.
The colorful carvings everywhere really were amazing. They were everywhere and the detail was very intricate. The entry to the gate was divided for traffic purposes. You go in on the right and there is a "usual route" to guide people around, finally coming out on the other side.
Yes, there are more steps.
Behind the worship hall is the Inukimon Gate, built in 1650. The bronze masterpiece was cast in one piece. The elaborate doors were cast separately.
This is the burial site of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Entry into the main hall is allowed, but you must remove your shoes and photographs are not allowed inside.
7 comments:
Thank you for sharing such nice pictures of Nikko! Reminds me of a nice trip I took there several years ago. I love those funny fierce elephants especially. It is such an interesting place and the grounds are beautiful.
What an amazing place Pamela, it is so good to see the historic places being restored. Looks like there were crowds of people there. The carvings are beautiful.
Hi Pamela wow what a wonderful interesting place to visit,i love the monkey carvings too,hope you have a lovely day my friend xx
Thank you so much for sharing your visit with us! I have been interested in Japanese history and culture for years ... but am unlikely to be able to visit myself.
:) Linda
Wow! An amazing shrine. Thank you for all the photos and the explanation boards of this wonderful place.
Wow. This is really quite amazing. Those carvings are exquisite, so detailed and beautifully painted. And the whole property/shrine is really beautiful. I'm sure when there aren't a zillion people it is a spot of extreme peace. Yes, lots of steps, but oh, I think they were worth it!
That really is a beautiful shrine - so many different buildings, and the wood carvings are amazing!
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