The gilded shrine pavilions of Ueno Toshogu shrine shine eerily under cloudy skies
The area that is now Ueno Park was once the precincts of a temple called Kanei-ji. Before the Meiji Restoration, neither the Tokyo National Museum, the Museum of Western Art, nor the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum existed here. Instead, there were many of the halls of Kanei-ji, the family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns, such as Hokke-do, Jogodo, Taho-to, Rinzo, Konpon-chudo, and Honbo.
Kanei-ji's decline from such power came at the end of the Edo period and into the Meiji era, when the temple was the scene of the Ueno War, and not only was the Konpon-chudo and other major halls destroyed by fire, but after the Meiji Restoration, most of the temple's territory was confiscated by the new government. Although the main hall of Kanei-ji still stands behind the School of Music of the Tokyo University of the Arts, it is sparsely visited, and its former glory can only be remembered.
While many of the temple's buildings have been destroyed by fire in the ravages of history, the Toshogu Shrine that once stood within the Kanei-ji temple grounds is a rare example of a shrine that has remained in the same location since the Edo period. After purchasing an admission ticket and entering the precincts of the shrine, one can still see the shrine pavilions, which were rebuilt in 1651 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun, after overcoming such disasters as the Ueno War, the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the Second World War. The shrine is said to be worshipped as a god of luck, and as a god of success, victory, health, and longevity, since its patron god is Ieyasu Tokugawa. It is a wonder that the gilded shrine pavilions make one feel as if one's luck in money will increase as well.
| Aug 2024 ARCHITECTURE TOKYO | |
| GOLD SHRINE UENO |
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PHOTO DATA
No
12630
Shooting Date
Feb 2024
Posted On
August 15, 2024
Place
Ueno, Tokyo
Genre
Architectural Photography
Camera
SONY ALPHA 7R V
Lens
ZEISS BATIS 2/40 CF
