UNESCO · Cultural · 1999

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

日光の社寺にっこうのしゃじNikkō no Shaji

The shoguns' mausoleums in a sacred mountain forest

The Shrines and Temples of Nikko are 103 buildings belonging to two shrines and a temple — Toshogu, Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji — in the forested mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, including the richly carved mausoleums of the first and third Tokugawa shoguns. They were inscribed in 1999 as a masterpiece of Edo-period architecture set in a sacred landscape.

Inscribed 1999Criteria: i, iv, viTochigi

Overview

Nikko lies at the foot of the volcanic Nikko mountains, about 130 km north of Tokyo, where the Daiya River leaves the highlands. The area became a centre of mountain worship in the 8th century, when the Buddhist monk Shodo Shonin founded a temple here and climbed Mount Nantai, venerated as a sacred peak. For centuries a mixed Shinto-Buddhist cult of the three mountains of Nikko flourished around it.

Its fortunes changed when Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the shogunate, died in 1616 and was enshrined at Nikko the following year as the deity Tosho Daigongen. His grandson Iemitsu rebuilt the shrine on a grand scale in the 1630s, with thousands of craftsmen and lavish use of lacquer, gold leaf and polychrome carving; Iemitsu's own mausoleum, Taiyuin, followed in 1653. Throughout the Edo period shoguns, daimyo and envoys from Korea made pilgrimages to Nikko.

After 1868 the Meiji government's separation of Shinto and Buddhism divided the complex into the two shrines and the temple that exist today. The property of about 50 ha holds 103 buildings — nine National Treasures and 94 Important Cultural Properties — together with the cedar forest and landscape that surround them.

Why it is World Heritage

UNESCO inscribed the property under three criteria. The shrines and temples, with their carving and painting, are masterpieces of human creative genius, harmonised with the natural setting (criterion i). They are an outstanding example of the gongen-zukuri style of shrine architecture of the Edo period, and of the decorative arts of the time (criterion iv).

The site also illustrates the Japanese tradition of worshipping mountains, in which the buildings are inseparable from the forest and peaks around them, and the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism that shaped Japanese religion until the 19th century (criterion vi).

Component sites

Nikko Toshogu
日光東照宮Nikkō Tōshōgū
Shrine and mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, rebuilt under Iemitsu by 1636. Its highlights include the Yomeimon gate, so rich in carving it is nicknamed the 'gate you could look at all day', the three wise monkeys on the sacred stable and the sleeping cat guarding the way to Ieyasu's tomb.
Futarasan Shrine
日光二荒山神社Nikkō Futarasan-jinja
Shrine to the deities of Mount Nantai, Mount Nyoho and Mount Taro. Its main hall of 1619 is the oldest building in the Nikko complex; the vermilion Shinkyo bridge over the Daiya River marks the sacred entrance to the precinct.
Rinno-ji
日光山輪王寺Nikkōzan Rinnō-ji
Tendai temple descended from Shodo Shonin's foundation. Its Sanbutsudo hall enshrines three large gilded statues representing the Buddhist forms of Nikko's three sacred mountains.
Taiyuin
大猷院Taiyūin
Mausoleum of the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, completed in 1653 and belonging to Rinno-ji; deliberately more restrained than Toshogu, out of deference to his grandfather.
Gongen-zukuri
権現造Gongen-zukuri
Shrine layout joining the main sanctuary and the worship hall through a connecting chamber under one complex roof; Toshogu is its most elaborate example.

History

766
Traditional date for the founding of Shihonryu-ji, predecessor of Rinno-ji, by Shodo Shonin.
782
Shodo Shonin reaches the summit of Mount Nantai according to tradition.
1617
Tokugawa Ieyasu, who died the previous year, is enshrined at Nikko.
1634–1636
Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilds Toshogu in its present form.
1653
Completion of Taiyuin, the mausoleum of Iemitsu.
1871
Following the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, the complex is divided into Toshogu, Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji.
1999
Inscription on the World Heritage List.
2013–2017
Major restoration of the Yomeimon gate.

Visiting

Nikko is reached from Tokyo by Tobu limited express from Asakusa in about two hours, or by Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and the JR Nikko Line; the shrines lie about 2 km uphill from the stations.
The three precincts adjoin one another in the forest and can be seen on foot in half a day; stone steps and slopes are steep in places.
Toshogu's spring grand festival on 17–18 May includes the procession of a thousand warriors in Edo-period costume on 18 May.
Many visitors combine the shrines with Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls, reached by the winding Irohazaka road into the mountains of Nikko National Park.

Frequently asked questions

Who is buried at Nikko Toshogu?

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun, was enshrined there in 1617 as a deity; his tomb lies in the inner precinct behind the main shrine.

Where are the three wise monkeys?

The carved panel of the monkeys who 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' is on the sacred stable at Toshogu, part of a series depicting the life of a monkey.

Why are there two shrines and one temple?

Nikko was a single Shinto-Buddhist complex until the Meiji government ordered the separation of Shinto and Buddhism; it was then divided into Toshogu, Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji.

Are Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls part of the World Heritage Site?

No. They are in Nikko National Park and closely tied to the area's mountain worship, but the inscribed property covers the shrines and temple in the town.

Is Nikko a day trip from Tokyo?

Yes. With about two hours each way by train, the World Heritage precincts can be visited in a day; adding Lake Chuzenji makes an overnight stay worthwhile.

Sources

1.Shrines and Temples of Nikko (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
2.日本の世界遺産一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
3.日光東照宮 (opens in a new tab) — 日光東照宮
4.日光市 (opens in a new tab) — 日光市