Shrine Kunōzan Tōshōgū Shrine

Kunōzan, towering some 216 metres above sea level, and the neighbouring plateau of Nihondaira (日本平) were formed initially in prehistoric times by the uplift of the seabed, with only the solid rock remaining due to erosion, resulting in the isolated elevation still visible today.

History:

The ancient Kunō-ji temple (久能寺) was built during the reign of Emperor Suiko (592-628) by Hata Kunō Tadahito (秦久能忠仁) of the local Hata clan and attracted many prominent monks, such as Gyōki (行基, 668–749) and Enji (円爾, 1202-1280), resulting in a period of relative prosperity. In 1568, Takeda Shingen advanced into Sunpu and moved Kunō-ji to Yabe (in the Shimizu Ward of present-day Shizuoka City). He constructed Kunō Castle on its site to take advantage of its strategic location. With the demise of the Takeda clan, Suruga and Kunō Castle came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Ieyasu, who abdicated as shōgun in 1605 and moved to Sunpu Castle, had always regarded Kunōzan as Sunpu's true honmaru (inner bailey) and maintained its fortifications. After he died in 1616, he was buried at Kunōzan, where Hidetada, Ieyasu's son, completed Kunōzan Tōshōgū in December 1617. Hidetada also started constructing the Tōshōsha shrine in Nikkō (now Nikkō Tōshōgū) at about the same time. Nikkō Tōshōgū later became the head shrine of all Tōshōgū shrines in Japan. Iemitsu, the third shōgun, relocated Ieyasu's grave to Nikkō, but his deified spirit is still worshipped as Tōshō-Daigongen (東照大権現) at Kunōzan.

During the Edo Period (1603-1867), the Sakakibara clan (榊原家) acted as official gatekeepers of Kunōzan (久能山総門番 Kunōzan sōmonban), while the lands were administered by the Sunpu jōdai (駿府城代), fudai daimyō responsible for the defence of Sunpu Castle. When the Meiji administration implemented its policy of separating Shintō and Buddhism, Kunōzan lost a large part of its Buddhist structures and most of its revenue.

In the Edo Period, the shrine and other buildings were repainted every twenty years; after the Meiji Restoration, this happened only twice. The shrine was completely repainted in 2006. Today, the entire plateau is protected as a National Historic Site. In 2010, the Honden (本殿), Sekinoma (石の間), and the Haiden (拝殿) were designated national treasures.

The shrine:

From Kunōzan Omotesandō (表参道) and the front gate, visitors have to climb 1159 steps to Ichinomon (一ノ門).

Kunōzan Tōshōgū Ichinomon (久能山東照宮 一ノ門)

Rōmon (楼門, Tower Gate)

The location of the former Five-Storied Pagoda (五重塔 Gojū-no-tō). After the forceful separation of Shintō and Buddhism by the Meiji administration, the pagoda was dismantled and auctioned off.

Karamon (唐門)

Tsuzumirō (鼓楼), the Drum Tower

Hiei-jinja (末社日枝神社本殿)

Honden (本殿)

Byōsho hōtō (廟所宝塔), the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Facsimilia of Ieyasu's handprint can be acquired at the museum shop.

Kunōzan Tōshōgū Museum

The museum's most famous exhibit is the golden clock Ieyasu was given by King Philip III of Spain in 1611. Ieyasu personally looked after Rodrigo de Vivero, the former Spanish governor of the Philippines. His ship ran aground at the Bōsō Peninsula in modern-day Chiba in 1609 en route to Mexico. After Ieyasu died in 1616, the clock was entrusted to the shrine, where it has been carefully preserved ever since. It has been designated as an important cultural property.

Nihondaira (日本平)

Nihondaira is a plateau adjacent to Kunōzan that can be reached in just five minutes by ropeway. If you are lucky, it offers a splendid view of Mount Fuji, Izu Peninsula, and Suruga Bay.

Suruga Bay

More pictures in our Kunōzan Tōshōgū album.

Links:

• Official Homepage of Kunōzan Tōshōgū Shrine (in English and Japanese)
• Kunōzan Ropeway (in English and Japanese)