(東照宮, Toshogu) is one of the most impressive historical sites in Japan.

It serves as a lavish mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established a military government that ruled Japan for over 250 years. Ieyasu was enshrined here as a deity under the name Toshogu, and later his grandson, Tokugawa Iemitsu, carried out a major expansion, shaping the complex as it appears today.

Set deep within a forest, the richly decorated complex includes more than a dozen buildings adorned with intricate wood carvings and gold leaf - quite unusual compared to the typically more minimalist style of Japanese shrines.

Among the highlights:
a five-story pagoda with a “floating” central pillar,
the ornate Yomeimon Gate - considered an architectural masterpiece,
and the famous carvings of the “Three Wise Monkeys” (🙈🙉🙊) and the “imagined elephants,” carved by an artist who had never seen a real elephant.

Another standout is the “Crying Dragon” in the Honjido Hall - a stunning ceiling painting paired with a unique acoustic effect.

In short - a seriously impressive place.
You can enter the site, but photography is not allowed inside certain areas.