Nikkō Tōshō-gū is the shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture. Gold leaf, painted carvings and complex rooflines distinguish it from the restrained image many travelers associate with Shinto architecture. The ornate buildings are arranged within a cedar forest that remains part of the shrine’s religious and visual meaning.
Tokugawa Ieyasu died in 1616, and the shrine at Nikkō was established in 1617. Most of the complex seen today dates from the major rebuilding ordered by his grandson, the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, in 1636. The project transformed the memorial into an authoritative statement of Tokugawa power, craftsmanship and sacred legitimacy.