Nikko Toshogu

Nikko Toshogu is Japan at its most ornate: the mausoleum shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years, built by his heirs on a scale meant to overwhelm. Where most Japanese shrines whisper in plain cedar, Toshogu shouts in gold leaf and colour - hundreds of carvings crowd its gates and storehouses, among them the three wise monkeys and the famous sleeping cat, and the Yomeimon gate is so densely decorated it is nicknamed the gate you could stare at until sunset. The complex climbs through towering cedar forest, part of a UNESCO-listed ensemble of shrines and temples that makes Nikko one of the great day trips or overnights from Tokyo.

History

Tōshō-gū is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, whose remains are entombed here; it was first built in 1617, under his son, the shōgun Hidetada, by the retainer Tōdō Takatora, and enlarged under the third shōgun, Iemitsu. Through the Edo period the shogunate made stately processions from Edo to the shrine along the Nikkō Kaidō, lined by the Cedar Avenue of Nikkō, and the spring and autumn festivals still re-enact them as processions of a thousand warriors. Its richly carved Yōmeimon gate, the sleeping cat attributed to Hidari Jingorō and the three wise monkeys on the sacred stable are among its best-known works, five of its structures are National Treasures, and with Futarasan Shrine and Rinnō-ji it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Nikkō Tōshō-gū).

What you'll find

• The Yomeimon gate - the carving-covered centrepiece, restored to full brilliance.
• The three wise monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, carved on the sacred stable.
• The sleeping cat and the shogun's tomb - the small carving guarding the long stair climb to Ieyasu's resting place.
• The five-storey pagoda and cedar avenue - the approach that sets the forest-and-gold tone.

When to go

Autumn is the classic - the surrounding mountains turn crimson and the nearby Irohazaka switchback road becomes a spectacle of its own. Spring brings fresh green and mild walking weather. Winter snow on the gold is beautiful and quiet; summer weekends are the busiest.

Things to know

It is a genuine day trip commitment from Tokyo - about two hours each way - and the shrine's fame means late-morning crowds year round. The decoration is gloriously excessive, which some visitors love and purists find gaudy compared with Kyoto's restraint. Steps and slopes are constant; comfortable shoes matter. Pair it with Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls up the valley to fill the day properly.

Nearby

Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls and the Irohazaka winding road are up the mountain from the shrines.

Key facts