Kishū Tōshō-gū

photo by kouko0515 · Public domain

photo by kouko0515 · Public domain

A procession in period costume every year since 1622: the shrine is called the ‘Nikkō of Kansai’.

Built between 1619 and 1621 by Tokugawa Yorinobu, tenth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and first lord of the Kishū domain, the shrine venerates Ieyasu himself (as Tōshō Daigongen) and Yorinobu (as Nanryū Daijin). The decorative richness of the buildings (seven of them Important Cultural Properties) earned it the nickname ‘Nikkō of Kansai’, by comparison with the more famous Tōshō-gū at Nikkō. One hundred and eight stone steps, the ‘Samurai Slope’ (侍坂), lead up to the shrine. The Wakamatsuri, a procession in period costume and masks that crosses the city, has been held here since 1622: today it falls on the second Sunday of May.

Shinto shrine in Wakaura, on the edge of Wakayama, dedicated to the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate and to the Kishū branch of the family.

ℹ️ Access to the shrine; hours and ticket price for the inner halls to be checked on the official site. The Wakamatsuri is held on the second Sunday of May (details of the procession route not verified beyond what is given here).

🚉 西高松 · 32 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org

All series · Open the map