Nikko’s Taiyuin-byo

The OTHER Tokugawa Shogun’s Mausoleum

In the spring of 2017 the city of Nikko finally finished refurbishing the Toshogu Shrine where the legendary founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, is enshrined. The refurbished Yomeimon gate, which is registered as a national treasure, is absolutely stunning and something I would never suggest a person skip. Nevertheless, much like Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera, the Toshogu Shrine and its gate suffer from their own notoriety. Simply put, the site’s tone of spirituality is generally crushed by the hordes of tourists wielding selfie-sticks.

Luckily for you though, Ieyasu isn’t the only Tokugawa enshrined in Nikko! Located only a stone’s throw away from the Toshogu Shrine you’ll find Taiyuin-byo, the mausoleum of Ieyasu’s grandson Iemitsu. Technically under the jurisdiction of nearby Rinno-ji temple complex, this Shinto-Buddhist hybrid is an often overlooked relic that closely resembles the lavish Toshogu Shrine. Despite the architectural similarities between the two, Taiyuin-byo was actually built to be a bit more modest than the Toshogu shrine due to Iemitsu reverent respect for this grandfather.

Taiyuin-byo is located the farthest away of all Nikko’s sites and nestled within the crest of a hill amongst ancient cedars that lend a spiritual charge to the air. Seeing Iemitsu is not well known…