Toyokuni Shrine (Kyoto)

In a corner of Kyoto's Higashiyama district, on the site where the Great Buddha Hall of Hoko-ji once stood, a shrine honors the unifier of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The deity is Toyokuni Daimyojin (Hideyoshi). The Karamon gate in front of the shrine is a National Treasure, and standing right before it you can take in the splendor of the Momoyama period in the lavish decoration of its transom and doors.

After Hideyoshi died in 1598, a mausoleum was built the following year on Mount Amidagamine. The imperial court bestowed the divine title "Toyokuni Daimyojin," and Tokugawa Ieyasu later donated a shrine estate of 10,000 koku. The grand festival of those days is depicted in the "Toyokuni Festival Screens." But when the Toyotomi clan fell in the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, the divine title was revoked and the shrine was abolished.

It took more than 250 years after the fall of the Toyotomi clan for the shrine to be revived. In 1868 the revival was proclaimed on the order of Emperor Meiji, and in 1880 the shrine buildings were completed and the deity was enshrined at the present site, the former Great Buddha Hall of Hoko-ji. The Great Buddha Hall site, with its stone walls and stone pagodas, is a nationally designated historic site.

The Karamon, a National Treasure, originally stood at Konchi-in, a sub-temple of Nanzen-ji, and was moved here when the shrine was rebuilt. It is said that Ishin Suden received the karamon of Nijo Castle in 1627 (Kan'ei 4), and there is also a tradition that it is a remnant of Fushimi Castle. Look up at the carvings and decoration on the transom and doors before heading on to the main sanctuary.

The Treasure Hall within the grounds opened in 1925. It displays the Important Cultural Property "Toyokuni Festival Screens" by Kano Naizen, and an Important Cultural Property iron lantern made by the kettle-maker Tsuji Yojiro Sanehisa and bearing an inscription of 1600, among other items. The grounds also hold Teisho Shrine, dedicated to Hideyoshi's wife Kita no Mandokoro (Nene) and built in 1925, the Umazuka mound, said to be a memorial to Hideyoshi though its origin is uncertain, and the tea house "Hoshusha." Toyokuni Mausoleum, Hideyoshi's grave, lies outside the shrine precinct at the summit of Mount Amidagamine, where a stone five-ring tower designed by Ito Chuta was erected in 1897.

The annual festival is held on September 18. At the mausoleum, a festival is held on April 18. The Karamon and grounds can be visited freely, and the Treasure Hall is open from 9:00 to 16:30. Walking the grounds and seeing the Treasure Hall at a relaxed pace takes about an hour.

Higashiyama's famous sights cluster nearby, including Sanjusangendo, Rokuharamitsuji and Hokan-ji (Yasaka Pagoda). Combine this shrine with these historic temples for a half-day walk through the history of the Toyotomi clan and old Kyoto.