Tokiwa Shrine

Overview

Tokiwa Shrine (Tokiwa-jinja) stands in Mito, Ibaraki, right beside Kairakuen, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens. It enshrines two revered lords of the Mito domain: Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second daimyo who oversaw the great historical compilation Dai Nihonshi, and Tokugawa Nariaki, the ninth lord who founded the nearby Kodokan academy. It is one of the shrines dedicated to honored domain lords that appeared from the late Edo into the early Meiji era, making it an easy pairing with a garden stroll.

Highlights

• ●Located right beside Kairakuen, ideal to combine with a garden walk
• ●Enshrines Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the famed Mito Komon, and lord Tokugawa Nariaki
• ●The Giretsukan hall, holding a city-designated cannon and war drum
• ●A dignified precinct including a Noh stage for ritual performances

History

The shrine was founded in 1874, when admirers of the two celebrated lords raised its halls at the edge of Kairakuen. In 1882 it was elevated to the rank of bekkaku kanpeisha, a special class of imperial shrine. Within the grounds stands the Giretsukan, a hall preserving items connected to the two lords, including a cannon and a war drum designated as cultural properties by the city of Mito. Though relatively young by shrine standards, it carries the intellectual spirit of the Mito school into the present.

Map

36.3746, 140.4560 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Explore Kairakuen's plum groves and the Kobuntei villa
2. 2Visit the adjoining Tokiwa Shrine and pay respects to the two lords
3. 3See the cannon, war drum, and other relics in the Giretsukan
4. 4Walk down to Lake Senba to finish beside the water

Did you know?

💡 The enshrined Tokugawa Mitsukuni is widely known as Mito Komon, the wandering hero of popular period dramas. The name Giretsukan comes from the honorary titles of the two lords, Giko for Mitsukuni and Rekko for Nariaki.

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