Ueno Park – Taito

At the entrance of the site, you will be greeted by two Komainus, the stone watchdogs. The path leading to the shrine is open free of charge up to the site of worship, but if you want to go inside the walls, you will have to pay a few hundred yen.

The impressive stone Torii gate is one of the few elements that have withstood the 1923 earthquake and the bombings of World War II. Once you have passed through the Torii gate, you are in the sacred area. Here, stone lanterns line the path leading to the religious site. The names of the donors and the dates are inscribed on each lantern. Next come the copper lanterns that are closer to the temple. The lanterns are donations but are not used for lighting. Initially, there were 50, but only 48 remain. The lanterns were registered as national treasures and therefore, were exempted from being melted down to create war weapons, but 2 have disappeared.

Although the 5-story pagoda is on the zoo grounds, it is possible to get a view as you walk towards the temple from the sacred gate.

Notice the upper part of the Sukibei wall surrounding the alley leading to the shrine. It is decorated with animal sculptures.

The Kara-mon gate is decorated with gold leaf and two dragons are on either side of the gate.

The shrine was built in 1627 in memory of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Toshogu Shrine in Ueno Park is known for its architectural beauty, as the main halls are decorated with gold leaf and are representative of the Edo period style. The site is recognized as a national treasure.

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