Nikkō san'nai, Remnants of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism~Part 2 Tōshōgū

Outside the Sanbutsudō, of Rin'nōji, is the path leading to Tōshōgū.
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The path gets wider as it gets closer to the shrine, so who walks this path would feel he had walked longer than he thought, and when who looked back would see the path is longer than it actually is.
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Along the path, there is a sign that indicates 634m above sea level, which is the same number of the hight of Tokyo Skytree.
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Approaching the Tōshōgū.
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The stone memorial carrying the shrine's name. The Mitsuba-aoi, that is the crest of the Tokugawa clan, is at the top.
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The stone steps in front of the torī becomes narrower as it gets closer to the torī, so the torī looks larger than it is.
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This stone torī was dedicated to the shrine in 1618, a year after establishment, by Kuroda Nagamasa, the head of Fukuoka Domain. The stone material was carried from Mount Kaya in Fukuoka prefecture by boat to Oyama, and from there it was carried here by man power.
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Going through the torī.
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This stone torī is 9.2m high, and is one of the largest stone made torīs. The shingaku carried on the torī is as large as the size of a tatami.
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Looking back at the torī.
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Besides the torī is a five-storied pagoda.
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This pagoda is about 35m high. Originally, it was built by Sakai Tadakatsu, the head of Obama Domain, in 1650, but it was destroyed by fire in 1815, and was rebuilt by Sakai Tadayuki in 1818.
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Usually, pagodas are built in Buddhist temples, and not in shrines. It is one of the traces of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.
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The first gate of Tōshōgū, the Omotemon. Besides it is a ticketing office, and tickets are necessary beyond this gate.
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Purchasing a ticket.
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Inside the Omotemon, statues of Niō are settled in the front side, and Karashishi are settled in the back.
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Tōshōgū, thronged with people.
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Right next to the Omotemon is the Shinkyūsha, a stable to tether sacred horses. On the wall of the Shinkyūsha are 8 carvings portraying a life of a monkey. One of those is the faomous "Three wise monkeys".
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The first carving portrays when the monkey is a baby. The mother is raising her child and looking at loquats and a bank of clouds, wishing for the child's bright future. It indicates that the child will grow up beloved by her mother.
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The second carving is the famous "Three wise monkeys", portraying when the monkey's childhood. There are two theories of it's meaning. One is, a child shood grow up without seeing, saying and hearing what is bad, and absorb what is good, obediently. The other is, when one heard or saw something unnecessary, he must not speak about it.
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The third carving portrays when the monkey becomes to live on her own. The monkey is take time to think about the rest of her life, and means one should think carefully about his own life and stand on her own feet.
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The forth carving portrays the monkey's adolescence. The monkey is looking up at the sky having a great ambition. It means one should aim high with a great ambition.
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The fifth carving portrays discouragement and friendship. There is a discouraged monkey and another one encouraging her, and a monkey is trying to jump over a cliff. It means if one has friends, he can overcome difficulties, and friendship is valuable.
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The carvings continue on to the side of Shinkyūsha.
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The sixth carving portrays the monkey a lovesick. The monkey had fell in love, and is lost in thought.
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The seventh carving portrays marriage. The monkey who found a good partner, would be tossed about in the storms of life, as the blue waves show, but the two would be able to overcome the difficulties together.
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The eighth carving portrays the monkey becoming pregnant. The monkey that was a baby would become a mother, and the story returns to the first carving, meaning the lives of people continuing on.
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On the otherside of the path are the San-jinko, the three sacred warehouses. They are called Shimo-jinko, Naka-jinko and Kami-jinko. Dresses and equipment for the festival are stored inside.
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On the wall of the Kami-jinko is a carving of elephants called "Sōzō-no-zō", meaning "imaginative elephants". It is said that why it is called like this is because Kanō Tan'yū who drew the preliminary sketch of the carving had never seen a real elephant.
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After the Shinkyūsha and the San-jinko, the Yōmei-mon comes to sight.
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The chōzuya in front of the Yōmei-mon was dedicated to the shrine by Nabeshima Katsushige, head of the Saga Domain. The pillars are made by granite so it won't be rotted by water.
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The chōzuya is decorated by carvings related to water, such as waves and Hiryūs, sacred beasts said to control water.
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Next to the chōzuya is a Rinzō. A Rinzō is a scripture house with a octahedron shaped bookshelf which can be rotated. Scripture houses, used to store sūtras, are usually built in Buddhist temples, but it remains in the Tōshōgū as one of the remains of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.
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The second torī, Karakane-no-torī, made of Chinese copper. Karakane-no-torī, the Yōmei-mon and the honden are positioned so that the straight line connecting these extends to the polar star.
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The Karakane-no-torī is the first torī to be made by copper, and is about 6m high. The Mitsuba-aoi, that is the crest of the Tokugawa clan, decorates the torī.
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After the Karakane-no-torī, is the Yōmei-mon. The gorgeous gate was built using the best architectural and artistic techniques of the time.
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In front of the Yōmei-mon, there is a Shō-rō that is a bell tower, and a Ko-rō that is a drum tower, positioned symmetrically. This is the Ko-rō, on the left.
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It is about 11m high, and was built in1636.
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The Yōmei-mon is covered with 508 colorful sculptures, and since it is said that one could look at it until sunset without getting tired of it, it is called "Higurashi-no-gomon".
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Yōmei-mon had gone through repair works, for 4 years, and the beauty, as it was when it was built, has revived.
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Inside the Yōmei-mon is a pair of zuishin statues. Zuishin statues serves the god as guardians. The sa-daijin is settled on the left, and the ya-daijin on the right. This one is the ya-daijin, and in one theory, since the Kikyō-mon, that was the crest of the Akechi clan, can be seen on the statue, it is said that this is a statue in imitation of Akechi Mitsuhide.
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In the back side of the gate is a pair of kara-shishi. Generally, a kara-shishi and a komainu, which has a horn, are collectively called "komainu". However, Yōmei-mon has kara-shishi, that has a horn, on both sides.
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The Yōmei-mon is covered with beautiful sculptures on the back side too. Many sculptures, such as sacred beasts, flowers, birds and animals, can be seen on the buildings of Tōshōgū, but sculptures of people can only be seen on the Yōmei-mon and the Kara-mon, which is the next gate.
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The back side of the Yōmei-mon.
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The next gate is the Kara-mon, that is the entrance to the main shrine. Kara-mon is a small gate, white covered with powder of grinded shells. It is also decorated by small and delicate sculptures.
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Only the shogunate retainers and feudal lords at high ranks those were admitted to meet the shōgun were allowed to go through the Kara-mon, and even now, only who is treated as a national guest can use this gate. So people in general has to enter from the entrance on the side. The main shrine is still going through repair works and covered by scaffolds. Also, no photographs are allowed inside.
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Goshuin is available at the Juyosho, next to the Yōmei-mon. Also, a commemorative sticker of the completion of the works on the Yōmei-mon.
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To the right of the main shrine is a path to the rear shrine, the Okumiya.
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The path goes accross the corridor, to the rear shrine.
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Inside the corridor, there is the famous sculpture called "sleeping cat". In one theory, the cat is pretending to sleep, so it can jump anytime to protect Ieyasu. And in another theory, since their is a sculpture of sparrows on the other side, it is so peaceful that the cat falls asleep and sparrows can dance safely.
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After going under the "sleeping cat" is the Sakashita-mon. In the Edo period, only the shōgun of the time were allowed to go through Sakashita-mon. Since the gate was opened when the shōgun visited, the gate was called the "Akazu-no-mon", meaning the gate that doesn't open.
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The path leading to the rear shrine. The fences on the side of the path were not made by combining small parts, but were carved out from stones.
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From the Sakashita-mon to the rear shrine, there are 207 stone steps. Each step was carved out from one stone.
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The rear shrine is in sight.
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At the top of a long stairway, is the Karakane-no-torī of the rear shrine.
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Inside the torī is the rear shrine, which is the most important part of Tōshōgū.
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The haiden, a worship hall, is on top of a few steps.
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The komainu in front of the haiden.
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The haiden of the rear shrine is a place where only the shōgun was allowed to enter. Painted with black lacquer and decorated by gold ornaments, it is an elegant building. Although it is not open to the public inside, it has a gorgeous interior decorated with brilliant coloring.
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Behind the haiden is the Inuki-mon that leads to the Okumiya-hōtō. This gate is made of copper, using a technique called Inuki.
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The Okumiya-hōtō is the grave of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It originally was wooden, but was rebuilt in stone in 1641, and was rebuilt again 1683 in Chinese copper, after it collapsed in an earthquake.
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Under the hōtō, it is said that the coffin of Tokugawa Ieyasu is settled. It had never been opened after establishment.
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Besides the Okumiya-hōtō is a cedar tree called "Kanō-sugi".
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The tree is estimated to be over 600 years old, and it is said that if one says a wish at the small shrine in front of the tree, it would come true.
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Leaving the rear shrine, heading back.
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The main shrine can be seen below from the steps from the rear shrine.
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Back at the Sakashita-mon.
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In front of the main shrine again.
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To the left to the main shrine is a Shinyosha, where three mikoshis, used in the festivals, are stored.
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Going back through the Yōmei-mon.
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On the right is the Honchidō, where the famous painting, "Naki-ryū" is. It is also called the Yakushidō, since it houses the statue of Yakushi-nyorai, considered as Buddhist manifestations of Tōshō-daigongen. It is a temple building that is a part of Rin'nōji, rebuilt in 1961 after it was be destroyed by fire by fire.
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On the ceiling of the Honchidō is a big painting of a dragon, 8m wide. Since beating wooden clappers under the head of the dragon makes a high echoing sound and sounds like a dragons voice, it is called the "Naki-ryū". No photographs are allowed inside.
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The goshuin available inside the Honchidō.
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Looking around from in front of the Yōmei-mon.
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100 lanterns are placed around Tōshōgū. Besides the Yōmei-mon is an unique lantern offered to the shrine by Date Masamune, made of iron imported from Portugal.
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It is evening, and not many visitors in the shrine.
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Leaving Tōshōgū from theOmotemon.
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Continuing on to the path to the right, to Futarasan shrine.
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