The Hokoji Temple, founded in 1371, is the “grand head temple” of the Hoko Sect in the Rinzai Zen School of Buddhism. There are approximately 170 Hoko Sect schools/temples in the Shizuoka prefecture. Since ancient times, the temple has served as a famous zen training monastery. Many zen students ...

Tokugawa Yoshinao, who is the ninth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the ancestor of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa Clan, founded the Nagoya Toshogu Shrine on September 17, 1619. He governed the Owari province, which is located at west side of the Aichi Prefecture. It is recorded that the Nagaya Cast...

This shrine was founded on the same grounds as the Zojoji Temple, which was the Tokugawa family temple in 1617. His life-size statue, which Ieyasu ordered to be created on his 60th birthday, is enshrined as a goshintai (sacred object). It is noted that Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered for it to be enshrin...

The Ueno Toshogu Shrine was built on the same grounds of the Kaneiji Temple in 1627 by two men. One of the men was Todo Takatora, who was a powerful feudal lord (called daimyo in Japanese) and is famous for creating incredible castle designs. The other man was Tenkai Sojo, who has been credited a...

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who spread peace across Japan, passed away at the age of 75 at the Sumpu Castle on April 17th, 1616. According to a book written by a monk that was alive through the beginning of the Edo Period, it is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu left his final words before he died, “Bury my body at...

Serada Toshogu Shrine is located in the Town of Serata, City of Ota, Gunma Prefecture. The reason why there is a Toshogu Shrine in the town of Serata is because it has been said that the ground of Serada is the birthplace of the Tokugawa Clan. That’s why the Toshogu Shrine was built in 1644. When...

Rinzaiji Temple was originally founded by Imagawa Ujichika for his son, Imagawa Yoshimoto who had become a monk when young. At the beginning, this temple was the resi...

During the period of Emperor Kougyoku (655-661), it is said the emperor commanded for this shrine to be built and to enshrine a god. Later, during the period of Emperor Kanmu (781-806), a shogun by the name of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro headed to the east in an attempt to conquer the east army. This ...

Tatsuki Jinja Shrine is located in the Okazaki Park, which is where the Okazaki Castle was used to be. Okazaki Castle was the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu and also the place where he raised an army at the age of 29. Because of this history, there is a deep relationship between Tokugawa Ieyasu an...

In the year 110, the time of the 12th emperor Keiko, the emperor’s son, Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, headed East with an army to put down a rebellion. Mikoto made an arrow while he was standing on the grounds of where the Sugo Shrine is now located. Mikoto enshrined Amaterasu-Omikami with the arrow. ...