Nikko Toshogu (Nikko Toshogu Grand Shrine)

Located in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, this shrine enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu (Tosho Daikongen), the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. Following Ieyasu's death in Suruga in 1616 CE (Genroku 2), his remains were moved from Kunoyama to Nikko in accordance with his last will, leading to the shrine's founding in 1617 CE (Genroku 3). In 1636 CE (Kan'ei 13), the third shogun, Iemitsu, oversaw the 'Kan'ei Great Reconstruction,' giving the shrine its current opulent appearance. The complex features 55 buildings, including the National Treasure Yoheimon Gate. Throughout the Edo period, it was revered as a sacred site of the shogunal family, and devotion to Tosho Daikongen spread nationwide. In 1999, it was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site as part of 'Shrines and Temples of Nikko,' standing as one of Japan's representative shrines.