This five-tiered pagoda at Tōshō-gū is an 1819 reconstruction of the mid-17th-century original. Buying a supplementary ticket affords you the chance to peer inside at the innovative earthquake-proof construction but it's dingy and there's not much to see.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Tōshō-gū
0.1 MILES
Tōshō-gū is Nikkō's biggest attraction, a shrine to the powerful shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). No expense was spared: when the original structure …
Taiyū-in
0.29 MILES
Taiyū-in, completed in 1653, is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–51), the third Tokugawa shogun and grandson of Ieyasu. (Ieyasu was deified, which…
Yōmei-mon
0.08 MILES
Adorned in gold leaf and some 500 carved images depicting folk tales, mythical beasts and Chinese sages, the 'Sunset Gate' is the most revered traditional…
Rinnō-ji
0.11 MILES
Rinnō-ji's grand main hall, Sanbutsu-dō ('Hall of Three Buddhas'), was first built in 848; the current structure dates to 1645 and, with restoration work…
Futarasan-jinja
0.2 MILES
Futarasan-jinja was founded over 1200 years ago as a place to worship the mountain Nantai-san (2484m), his mountain consort, Nyohō-san (2483m), and their…
Nikkō Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park
0.51 MILES
About 1km west of Shin-kyō bridge, this splendidly restored imperial palace (c 1899) of more than 100 rooms showcases superb artisanship, with parts of…
Kegon-no-taki
5.54 MILES
The big-ticket attraction of Chūzen-ji is this billowing, 97m-high waterfall. Take the 1930s elevator down to a platform to observe the full force of the…
Kanman-ga-Fuchi Abyss
0.72 MILES
Along this particularly scenic stretch of the Daiya-gawa, where white rapids swirl around rocks, is a row of Jizō statues, the small stone effigies of the…
Nearby Nikkō attractions
2. Ishi-dorii
0.03 MILES
A towering stone torii (entrance gate) at the head of the stone steps on Omotesandō leading up to Tōshō-gū, burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
3. Shinkyūsha
0.05 MILES
This 'Sacred Stable' building in Tōshō-gū's outer courtyard is crowned with relief carvings of monkeys. The allegorical 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak…
4. Sanjinko
0.06 MILES
In Tōshō-gū's initial courtyard are these 'Three Sacred Storehouses'; on the upper storey of the Kamijinko (upper storehouse) are relief carvings of …
5. Nikkō Tōshō-gū Museum
0.07 MILES
Opened in 2015 for the 400th anniversary of Tokugawa Ieyasu's death, this modern building behind Rinnō-ji contains artefacts relating to the shogun,…
6. Yōmei-mon
0.08 MILES
Adorned in gold leaf and some 500 carved images depicting folk tales, mythical beasts and Chinese sages, the 'Sunset Gate' is the most revered traditional…
7. Tōshō-gū
0.1 MILES
Tōshō-gū is Nikkō's biggest attraction, a shrine to the powerful shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). No expense was spared: when the original structure …
8. Honji-dō
0.1 MILES
To the west of Tōshō-gū's drum tower is this hall known for the painting on its ceiling of the Nakiryū (Crying Dragon). Monks demonstrate the hall's…