Overview
Nikkō Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine at Nikkō in Tochigi Prefecture, where Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined as the deity Tōshō Daigongen. The complex took its present form between its founding in 1617 and a sweeping rebuilding completed in 1636.
Description
The shrine’s buildings are covered in gilding and lacquer and adorned with more than 5,000 carvings. The dazzling Yōmeimon gate is nicknamed the gate one can gaze at until dusk, and the most famous carvings include the three wise monkeys on the sacred stable and the Sleeping Cat, traditionally attributed to the semi-legendary carver Hidari Jingorō.
History and legacy
The shrine was founded in 1617 by Ieyasu’s son, the second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. Between 1634 and 1636 the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilt it on a far more lavish scale, creating today’s complex, and in 1999 it was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing Shrines and Temples of Nikkō.