Nikko Toshogu Shrine

Located in Yamauchi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. Its official name is "Toshogu Shrine." It enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu as its chief deity, along with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Minamoto no Yoritomo. Ieyasu died on April 17, 1616 (Genwa 2) at Sunpu Castle (Shizuoka City), and according to his will, he was buried in a Shinto funeral at Mount Kuno. In April of the following year, he was reburied at the site of the Okumiya Hoto Pagoda in Nikko, where he was enshrined as a deity protecting the nation. This is the origin of the main shrine, and prior to its enshrinement in February of that year, the deity was given the title of Tosho Daigongen, and was called Toshosha. In 782 (Ten'o 2), with the rise of mountain worship, this area became a center of faith in the Kanto region when Shodo Shonin opened a sacred site combining Shinto and Buddhism around Mt. Nantai and built the foundations for the current Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji Temple. Since then, the area has been revered by Kanto samurai even since the Middle Ages.

There is no record of Ieyasu ever visiting this place, but he considered it a sacred place and the center of faith in the Kanto region, and it is believed that he left a will that the deity be enshrined here after the first anniversary of his death and that he would become the protector of the nation. Later, in November 1645 (Shoho 2), the shrine was given the title of shrine and called Toshogu Shrine, and he was bestowed the rank of Shoichii, and the following year, on April 17th, the anniversary of Ieyasu's death, the Imperial Court held a special offering ceremony, and from then on, a ceremony of offerings of offerings began to be held every April, and these continued until the end of the Edo period, when they were called Reiheishi. During the Edo period, the only shrines to which the Imperial Court offered offerings every year were Ise Grand Shrine and Toshogu Shrine, and the Toshogu Shrine's reiheishi were generally appointed by court nobles who held the position of councilor. They typically traveled along the Nakasendo and Reiheishi Kaido roads on the way there, and the Nikko Kaido, Edo, and Tokaido roads on the way back.

The site for the shrine was selected in November 1616 by the second shogun, Hidetada, and Honda Masazumi and Todo Takatora were appointed as magistrates. Nakai Yamato no Kami Masakiyo designed the shrine and construction began in April of the following year. However, the third shogun, Iemitsu, who had a deep respect for his grandfather, Ieyasu, followed the example of Ise Grand Shrine which is rebuilt every 20 years, and in November 1604 (Kan'ei 11), he appointed Akimoto Yasutomo as magistrate and ordered Kora Bungo no Kami Munehiro to oversee the design. In April 1603, the magnificent shrine that we see today was constructed. The construction costs of this Kan'ei shrine - 568,000 ryo, 100 kan of silver, and 1,000 koku of rice - were all paid for by the shogunate, and required 2,485,500 sheets of gold leaf, 140,076 pieces of timber, and a total of 4,541,230 construction workers. In constructing this shrine, the government gave careful consideration to the use of the natural terrain, left as many old and large trees as possible, arranged the buildings closely together to ensure overall harmony, considered the materials and structural durability of the shrine, as well as measures against fire, cold, and humidity, and incorporated the best technical methods of the time for the architectural style and detailed design, while also considering a harmony of colors, aiming to build an elaborate and elegant structure. Since then, large-scale repairs have been carried out approximately every 20 years, starting with a major repair during the Genroku period (1688-1704), but the main hall, stone room, and worship hall are typical of the Gongen-zukuri style, and are designated as national treasures along with the Karamon gates at the front and back, the lattice walls on the east and west, the Yomeimon gate, and the corridors.In addition, the 37-kilometer-long Nikko Cedar Avenue (a special historic site and special natural monument) was donated by Matsudaira Masatsuna after 1625 (Kan'ei 2).

It is a special government-sponsored shrine under the Meiji era. On May 17th, the annual festival is held on a grand scale with the participation of the Tokugawa family and members of the Sanko Association, followed by a Yabusame ritual and in the evening, three portable shrines are carried from the main shrine to Futarasan Shrine, where a Yoinari Festival is held that night. On the following day, the 18th, they are carried from Futarasan Shrine along the main approach to the shrine to the Otabisho near the Shinkyo Bridge, where special offerings are made, and after the offering ceremony, the Yaotome Dance and Azuma Asobi are performed. This procession is lively with a hundred items and a thousand warriors, imitating the gubu procession at the time of the transfer of the spirit from Mount Kuno in 1617 (Genwa 3). Additionally, on October 16th, Bugaku and Kangen music will be performed in front of the five-story pagoda, and on the following day, the 17th, the autumn festival will feature a procession of 1,000 warriors, just like the regular spring festival.

[Junichi Kamata]

"Toshogu Shrine, 'History of Toshogu Shrine' (1927, Toshogu Shrine Office)" ▽ "Nikko Toshogu Shrine, 'Nikko Toshogu Shrine' (1977, Nikko Toshogu Shrine Office)" ▽ "Nikko Toshogu Shrine, 'Nikko Cedar-Aminated Highway' (1978, Nikko Toshogu Shrine Office)" ▽ "Original Color Japanese Art 16: Shrines and Mausoleums' (1970, Shogakukan), edited by Ota Hirotaro et al., written by Inagaki Eizo (1970, Shogakukan) " ▽ "Treasures of Japanese Art 18: Ise and Nikko' (1972, Shogakukan), edited by Ota Hirotaro et al., written by Sakurai Toshio (1972, Shogakukan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

栃木県日光市山内に鎮座。正式名称は「東照宮」。徳川家康を主とし、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉・源頼朝(よりとも)を合祀(ごうし)する。家康は1616年（元和2）4月17日駿府(すんぷ)城（静岡市）で没し、遺言により久能山(くのうざん)に神葬祭で葬り、翌年4月、日光の奥宮宝塔の地に改葬、国家鎮護の神として奉斎された。これが本社の起源で、その2月鎮座に先だち東照大権現(だいごんげん)の神号が宣下され、東照社と称した。この地は782年（天応2）山岳信仰の風潮とともに、勝道上人(しょうどうしょうにん)が男体山(なんたいさん)を中心に神仏混淆(こんこう)の霊場を開き、現在の二荒山(ふたらさん)神社・輪王寺(りんのうじ)の基礎をつくって以来、関東地方の信仰の中心となり、中世以降も関東武士に崇敬されてきていた。

　家康がこの地を訪ねた記録はないが、ここを関東における霊所、信仰の中心地とみて、ここに一周忌も過ぎたころに祀(まつ)られ、国家鎮護の神たらんことを遺言したものとみられる。その後1645年（正保2）11月に宮号を宣下されて東照宮と称されることとなり、正一位を贈られ、翌年家康の命日にあたる4月17日朝廷より臨時奉幣の儀があり、それより毎年4月幣帛(へいはく)奉納の儀が行われるようになり、例幣使(れいへいし)とよばれ幕末まで続いた。江戸時代に朝廷より毎年幣帛を奉納されたのは、伊勢(いせ)の神宮と東照宮のみであり、東照宮の例幣使はおおむね参議の職にある公卿(くぎょう)が任命され、往路は中山道(なかせんどう)・例幣使街道を、帰路は日光街道・江戸・東海道を通るのを通例とした。

　その社殿は1616年11月2代将軍秀忠(ひでただ)が社地を定め、本多正純(ほんだまさずみ)・藤堂高虎(とうどうたかとら)を奉行(ぶぎょう)とし、中井大和守正清(やまとのかみまさきよ)が設計して着工、翌年4月に完成したが、3代将軍家光(いえみつ)は祖父家康を尊敬する心きわめて篤(あつ)く、伊勢の神宮が20年ごとに造替される例に倣い、34年（寛永11）11月に秋元泰朝(あきもとやすとも)を奉行とし、甲良豊後守宗広(こうらぶんごのかみむねひろ)に設計指揮を命じ、36年4月におよそ現在みられる壮麗な社殿を造営した。この寛永(かんえい)の造営費用金56万8000両、銀100貫、米1000石はすべて幕府の支出であり、金箔(きんぱく)248万5500枚、材木総数14万0076本、工事人夫計454万1230人を要した。この社殿造営にあたり、自然の地形利用を十分に考え、老樹・巨木をなるべく残し、建物配置を相互に緊密にして全体的調和を計り、社殿材料、構造の耐久性、また火災・寒冷・湿気に対する対策を考え、建築物の形式、細部の意匠など当時の最高の技術方法を取り入れ、色彩の調和も計り、精巧優美な建造物造営を目ざした。以後元禄(げんろく)年間（1688～1704）の大修理をはじめ、およそ20年ごとに大規模な修繕がなされてきたが、本殿・石之間・拝殿は権現造の典型的なものであり、正面・背面の唐門、東西の透塀(すきべい)、陽明門(ようめいもん)、回廊とともに国宝に指定されている。また全長37キロメートルに及ぶ日光杉並木（特別史跡、特別天然記念物）は1625年（寛永2）以降松平正綱(まさつな)の寄進によるものである。

　明治の制で別格官幣社。例祭5月17日、徳川宗家(そうけ)、産子会員が参列し盛大に行われたあと、流鏑馬(やぶさめ)神事が行われ、夕刻3基の神輿(みこし)が本社より二荒山神社に渡御し、同夜そこで宵成(よいなり)祭があり、翌18日にはその二荒山神社より表参道を神橋(しんきょう)近くの御旅所(おたびしょ)まで渡御、そこで特殊神饌(しんせん)を供え、奉幣行事のあと、八乙女(やおとめ)舞、東遊(あずまあそび)を奏するが、この渡御は、1617年（元和3）久能山より遷霊した当時の供奉(ぐぶ)行列を模した百物揃(ひゃくものぞろえ)、千人武者行列でにぎわう。また10月16日五重塔前で舞楽、管絃(かんげん)が行われ、翌17日秋季祭で春の例祭時と同様、渡御祭千人武者行列が催される。

［鎌田純一］

『東照宮編『東照宮史』（1927・東照宮社務所）』▽『日光東照宮編『日光東照宮』（1977・日光東照宮社務所）』▽『日光東照宮編『日光杉並木街道』（1978・日光東照宮社務所）』▽『太田博太郎他監修、稲垣栄三著『原色日本の美術16　神社と霊廟』（1970・小学館）』▽『太田博太郎他監修、桜井敏雄著『名宝日本の美術18　伊勢と日光』（1972・小学館）』

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