Tosho-gu Sanctuary

The Tosho-gu shrine

The Tokyo audio-guided tour invites you to quiet contemplation before the Shinto shrine Ueno Tosho-gu, dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Dedicated to the first Tokugawa shogun

Tosho was the posthumous name of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who managed to unify Japan at the end of long battles, alongside Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Oda Nobunaga, considered the three unifiers of the country. Become shogun, he founded the Tokugawa shogunate and made Edo, present-day Tokyo, the capital, opening the Edo era that lasted until 1868. The shrine was built in 1627, then modified in 1651 in the gongen-zukuri style, where the hall of worship and the main shrine are linked by a single roof. Restored but never destroyed, it is a precious vestige of the seventeenth century.

What there is to see

After crossing an alley lined with stone and copper lanterns, one discovers, in contemplation, this Shinto shrine all clad in black and gold, which has resisted battles and natural disasters. Although the interior cannot be visited, its façade offers a fine example of traditional Shinto sacred architecture. It is a place of memory and beauty, to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Ueno Tosho-gu shrine is in Ueno Park, in Tokyo. A Shinto place of worship, its precinct can generally be visited during the day, with respect for silence and for the faithful; the interior of the shrine cannot be visited. The hours may vary according to the season; access is on the level.

To whom is the Tosho-gu shrine dedicated?

To Tokugawa Ieyasu, first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate and unifier of Japan, under his posthumous name of Tosho.

What is the gongen-zukuri style?

A Shinto architectural style where the hall of worship and the main shrine are linked by a single roof, as at the Tosho-gu shrine.