Did you know that an opulent Shinto shrine has presided over Ueno Park since the Edo period, a mere stone’s throw from the Ueno Zoo? Named the Ueno Toshogu, the shrine honors the memory of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Originally erected in 1627 in fulfillment of Ieyasu’s last will and testament, the shrine was rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu (the 3rd Tokugawa shogun) in 1651 as an exceptionally lavish site of worship open to the general Edo public. Having survived centuries of war and natural disasters largely unscathed, the shrine is a rare window into yesteryear, and a hidden “power spot” treasured by discerning audiences. True to the shrine’s reputation as a bringer of luck, we had the good fortune to meet up with priest Maki Saga for an insider’s tour of the Ueno Toshogu’s sacred grounds.
Rising dragons and ascendant fortunes
Visitors to the Ueno Toshogu grounds are first greeted by an extraordinary stone torii gate. As legend has it, the impressive gate was so well built that it did not even budge an inch during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which razed much of Tokyo in minutes. Passing under the gate’s resolute beams, worshippers proceed along a picturesque pathway, flanked on both sides by innumerable gargantuan lanterns. The shrine’s grounds contain lanterns given as gifts from the feudal lords: 209 of them carved from stone, and 48 wrought in copper.
All 48 copper lanterns have been designated national treasures with Important Cultural Property status. The largest lanterns flanking the Karamon Gate were contributed by the Tokugawa Gosanke, the three prominent branches of the Tokugawa clan. Although approximately 150 shrines across Japan bear the name “Toshogu,” only the Ueno Toshogu was constructed by the shogunate in accordance with Tokugawa Ieyasu’s wishes.
At the end of the approach to the shrine,
visitors arrive at the polychromatic Karamon Gate. Constructed in 1651, the
four-post gate, designed in a Chinese style, is a nationally designated
Important Cultural Property. Dragons adorning the columns to the left and right
of the gate’s door are said to have been carved by the acclaimed Edo period
artisan Jingoro Hidari.
Priest Maki Saga explains: “As the saying
goes, the nobler the man, the lower his head bows. The dragon carving on the
right has its head pointed down. This representation is called a “nobori-ryu,”
an ascendant dragon. The carving is incredibly vivid and lifelike. Legend even has
it that the dragon comes to life at night and drinks water from the nearby
Shinobazu Pond.”
On the 17th of each month, the day of the month when Tokugawa Ieyasu died, the shrine bestows a limited-edition protective amulet (¥1,500) featuring this ascendant dragon design.
symbol of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s might, offering a popular selection of omamori amulets promising similar good fortune, victory, and success.
An ascendant dragon woodcarving attributed to Jingoro Hidari guards the Karamon Gate exterior. Another equally superb ascendant dragon carving can be found on the gate’s reverse face.The ascendant dragon amulet is the largest omamori offered by the shrine. Many visitors time their pilgrimage specifically to snag one of these limited-edition lucky talismans.
Spot the Tanuki, one lucky raccoon dog
After paying a small admission fee, visitors enter the inner grounds, towered over by an ancient camphor tree estimated to be over 600 years old. Worshipped as a shinboku, the sacred tree measures 25 meters tall, with a staggering 8-meter girth around its trunk. Predating the Ueno Toshogu by centuries, the tree is said to be the oldest in all of Ueno Park.
This sacred camphor tree is said to be the oldest tree in Ueno.
According to Saga, the sacred tree has become
recognized as a “power spot” in recent years, drawing visitors for its supposed
healing properties: “The tree emanates good qi. If you happen to pick up
any of its fallen leaves, they’re sure to bring health.” A wild tanuki has even
taken up residence among the tree’s roots. Rumor has it that a chance sighting
of this “racoon dog” is a fortuitous sign.
Speaking of tanuki, another small shrine, named the Eiyo Gongen Sha, can be found in the shadow of the camphor tree. The shrine houses the spirit of a tanuki deity that, as legend has it, brought a series of misfortunes upon its former residences. However, after being relocated to the Ueno Toshogu in the Taisho period, it became a symbol of good fortune. In a play on words, “tanuki” is homonymous with a phrase meaning, “to outstrip others.” As such, the tanuki is looked favorably upon as the deity of luck and victory, especially by students and new graduates hoping to place a step ahead of the competition come entrance exam and job interview season.
View of the Eiyo Gongen Sha, which enshrines the tanuki deity. Incidentally, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s nickname was “old man tanuki,” in reference to his shrewd and cunning stratagems. However, the tanuki shrine is a mere historical coincidence, and not necessarily a statement on the Ueno Toshogu’s founder.Ema wooden prayer plaques featuring a propitious tanuki design.
A dazzling architectural landmark, restored to glory with the help of the Ueno Zoo
The Sukibei Wall’s woodcarvings depict a wide menagerie of creatures. Although there is some repetition in the species depicted, no two are quite alike.
The shrine’s Main Hall is encompassed by a
winding wall called a “sukibei.” Constructed in 1651, the wall itself is
another nationally designated Important Cultural Property. The lattice-windowed
design would have allowed a measure of vigilant surveillance for the successive
generations of shogun and feudal lords who made pilgrimages to the shrine.
The upper part of the wall features
woodcarvings of land creatures, while the lower part depicts sea and river
life. All told, there are 257 panels, carved under the direction of Kano Tanyu,
one of the foremost painters of the Kano school.
As Saga explains: “In order to distinguish
the inner shrine precinct from the outside, the interior ornamentation consists
of higher-status mythical creatures, such as shishi guardian lion dogs,
and phoenixes, while the outer wall is adorned with sparrows, crows, and other common
animals that would have been familiar to the general populace in the Edo
period. One particularly rare carving depicts a praying mantis. This praying
mantis motif can only be found here at the Ueno Toshogu, and at the Iwashimizu
Hachimangu in Kyoto.”
Although the wall was originally painted in a kaleidoscopic array of color, over time it became a more uniform red, perhaps best described as a staid iron oxide. However, an ambitious restoration project returned the wall to its former polychromatic glory. As the restoration entailed the coloration of a number of bird carvings, the Ueno Zoo reportedly became an indispensable resource, allowing access to their aviary to ensure each feather was rendered accurately.
A wood carving depicting a praying mantis. When visiting the shrine, keep your eyes peeled for this exquisitely rare bit of detail.
Divine intervention: The shrine that escaped firebombing in WWII
Front view of the Worship Hall. The doors feature a Dharma Chakra (“Wheel of Dharma”) motif, a characteristic of temple architecture evoking the Buddha’s teachings. Known as the “horin” in Japanese, the symbol is a testament to this Shinto shrine’s close connection to Buddhism.
Passing through the Sukibei Wall, visitors
at last arrive at the shrine. The shrine is an Important Cultural Property, built
in 1651. Similar to the Nikko Toshogu, the Ueno Toshogu is an example of the gongen-zukuri
architectural style,
in which the Worship Hall (haiden) and Main Hall (honden) are
connected under the same roof by an intermediate hall (ishi-no-ma). The
shrine’s façade is blanketed in approximately 110,000 sheets of gold leaf, each
measuring 13 cm2, earning it the alternate name Golden Hall (konjikido).
The structure’s extravagant woodcarvings are a sight to behold,
encompassing guardian lion-dogs, peonies, phoenixes, and hawks, symbols of
Tokugawa Ieyasu’s strength.
Even in relatively modern times, the shrine has
a miraculously storied history.
“During the devastating Tokyo air raids in
1945, an incendiary bomb is said to have fallen between the Sukibei Wall and
the Main Hall. Fortunately, the bomb didn’t explode. Dud or not, it’s a miracle
that no bombs landed a direct hit on the shrine itself.”
As if protected by divine intervention, the Ueno Toshogu has curiously managed to evade any number of perils over the past 300 years, albeit with a few near misses. For an authentic window into the Edo of yore and the prospect of replenishing the reserves with a bit of good luck of your own, the Ueno Toshogu is a can’t-miss destination on any visit to Ueno.
Side view of the Main Hall. Impressive from any angle, the resplendent gold décor is reminiscent of Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavilion) and Chusonji’s Konjikido (Golden Hall).The Ueno Toshogu’s former chief priest enshrined the united flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a monument to world peace. The flame burns on to this day under the watchful eye of Tokugawa Ieyasu, remembered for ushering in a lasting “Pax Tokugawa,” following a century of civil warfare.Left: Maki Saga, a Shinto priest (“negi”) at the Ueno Toshogu. Right: The shrine’s grounds are also home to the Peony Garden, an elegant Japanese-style walking garden. Open twice a year – from January through mid-February, and mid-April through mid-May – the garden boasts a wide variety of peonies from across the world.The five-story pagoda located within the Ueno Zoo originally belonged to the Ueno Toshogu. Following the Meiji government’s attempt to separate Shintoism and Buddhism in 1868, the pagoda managed to evade demolition when its stewardship was transferred to the Buddhist Kaneiji temple. The pagoda was subsequently donated to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and it continues to stand on the grounds of the Ueno Zoo to the present day.
Text: Emi Iwamoto Photos: Takehiro Goto
Ueno Toshogu
Address: 9-88 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo Outer Grounds: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.（October through February） 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (March through September) Shrine Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (October through February） 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (March through September) *The Main Hall is not open to the public. www.uenotoshogu.com
Note: Information in this article current as of February 2020.
