Be one of many first outsiders in centuries to enter this secret sacred space.
Japan has an abundance of gorgeous shrines, however in case you’re seeking to go to one which’s among the many most sacred and revered, you’ll need to make a visit to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine in Shizuoka Prefecture.
This shrine lately acquired a increase in reputation after it was featured within the year-long historic taiga drama Dousuru Ieyasu (“What Will You Do, Ieyasu?“) which was broadcast on nationwide tv in 2023. The drama adopted the story of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the primary shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, which dominated Japan from 1603-1868. His rule introduced an finish to civil wars in Japan, ushering in a peaceable interval the place tradition and society was in a position to flourish, making him an extremely essential determine in Japanese historical past.
The shogun’s story lives on at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, as that is the place the place Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined, in response to his needs for a mausoleum atop Mount Kunozan. This connection to Japan’s first shogun has made the shrine standard with vacationers over the centuries, however through the 400-plus years it’s existed, there’s been one space that’s at all times been off limits to the public.
That’s about to vary quickly, although, as the shrine is opening the world to a restricted variety of folks for 3 days solely, and we had been invited to view the key web site as a part of a press tour previous to its particular opening.
▼ Our information was Yo Saito, who works at Kunozan Toshogu Shrine.
The forbidden space, beforehand solely seen by clergymen on the shrine, is being opened to the general public as a part of a tie-up with Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai) to advertise Mt Fuji and the Tokai area in and round Shizuoka Prefecture. On clear days you may get pleasure from spectacular views of Mt Fuji from Mount Kunozan, the place the shrine is situated, and the world being opened to the general public covers the path from the precincts to the summit. This allows you to view Atago Shrine on the high of the mountain, and offers you tantalising glimpses of the stays of Kuno Fortress, which predates the constructing of the shrine some 400 years in the past.
The roughly three-hour tour begins on the shrine, which is a nationwide treasure, the place individuals will cease for personal worship.
The shrine is a masterpiece of structure from the Edo interval (1603-1868) which everybody ought to see at the very least as soon as of their lifetimes. The story behind the constructing itself can also be extremely attention-grabbing, with some elements of the inside purposely left as they had been in a selected period so you may see how repairs had been remodeled time.
Surprisingly, the tales advised right here by the clergymen are stuffed with data that isn’t obtainable on-line. For instance, the tatami mats with pink edges (ungenberi) which are laid between these stones have a special construction from trendy tatami mats, and since there are now not any craftsmen who specialise within the craft, it’s not possible to ever recreate them.
One other attention-grabbing story entails the lacquering and repainting of the shrine, which takes place each 50 years. The final repaint was accomplished in 2006, which implies it shouldn’t happen once more till 2056, however Mr Saito revealed that the restoration work has already begun…30 years upfront.
▼ At this level, Mr Saito pulled out a wood board to show why.
This board exhibits how the lacquer used within the shrine constructing is cut up up into over 30 layers, with the paint needing to be stripped again earlier than the layers are utilized to provide the ultimate consequence.
It’s an extremely time-consuming job, and you may see the results in some sections already, with the darker space beneath representing the brand new work and the lighter space being the half that wants redoing.
After praying and receiving non secular coaching on the shrine, tour individuals head in direction of the forbidden space from behind the constructing.
▼ That is the primary time in 400 years for the forest space to be considered by members of the general public.
The timber on the mountain had remained untouched for 400 years, however some lately reached some extent the place they might pose a hazard to buildings, in order that they had been lower down as a security measure.
Heading deeper into the forbidden space takes you into elements which are extra overgrown, and we we had been proven three precious websites beforehand unknown to the general public.
▼ One is that this staircase, which was utilized by army commanders when the positioning was a fort.
▼ The second web site of curiosity is that this moat, which additionally belonged to Kuno Fortress.
A lot of the stays of Kuno Fortress had been misplaced as a consequence of development of the Nihondaira Ropeway, so it’s thought that not a lot stays. Nevertheless, the world on the west facet from round the primary shrine of Toshogu Shrine to the summit is untouched, so because of this, the stays of the fort are nonetheless intact in some locations. This offers you thrilling glimpses into the previous as you make your means up the mountain, with stone partitions and trenches being irresistible websites of curiosity for fort fanatics.
This web site has by no means been excavated, and with a historical past relationship again to the seventh century, the probabilities of unearthed gems present beneath floor are extremely excessive.
▼ The third web site of curiosity is the small torii gate on the high of those stairs, with an equally small shrine past it.
This shrine is alleged to be devoted to Kuno Tadahito, who constructed Kunoji Temple during the reign of Emperor Suiko, earlier than Kuno Fortress was constructed. This mountain will get its title from Kuno Tadahito, and no member of the general public can have ever seen this particular shrine prior to now.
One other superb discovery is the existence of so-called “Izu stones” used through the constructing of Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, that are tough to acquire as they will now not be mined.
The historical past of the previous, the place the positioning modified from a fort to a shrine, can also be evident within the timber, with a few of them being utterly wild, and others showing to have been planted with regularity. The complete mountain is like an historical destroy from the previous, with attention-grabbing terrain and artefacts ready to be found, however the closing vacation spot is the one that may actually take your breath away.
▼ Atago Shrine, on the high of the mountain, is certainly one of many least visited shrines in all of Japan.
With the world being hid from the general public for roughly 400 years, no person apart from shrine clergymen had been ever in a position to affirm its existence. It’s a panoramic expertise to view one thing so uncommon in Japan, and making it much more particular is the truth that Kunozan Toshogu Shrine and Nikko Toshogu Shrine, which make up the 2 most well-known shrines related to the Tokugawa clan, sit in a straight line with Mt Fuji within the center.
Though you may’t view Mt Fuji straight from Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, the straight-line location connects it to the parable and legend of the mountain and the Tokugawa shogunate.
▼ Members additionally obtain a particular Goshuin shrine stamp as a memento of the distinctive tour.
▼ The goshuin is fantastically made, and given to you earlier than coming into the forbidden space so you may imbue it with sacred vitality.
The tour seems set to be a tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime alternative, however you’ll should be fast to participate, because it’s restricted to solely 20 folks every day, at a price of seven,000 yen (US$45.29) per individual, and is barely obtainable on three dates: 14 December, 2024; 25 January, 2025; 2 March, 2025. For extra data, take a look at the particular marketing campaign web page, the place you can also make your bookings. If temples are extra your factor, although, then you definately’ll love this hidden gem in Nara Prefecture.
Web site data
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine / 会津さざえ堂
Tackle: Shizuoka-ken, Shizuoka-shi, Suruga-ku, Negoya 390
静岡市駿河区根古屋390
Hours: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Web site
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