Shizuoka Sengen Shrine

Shizuoka Sengen Shrine is a large complex uniting several historically distinct shrines, principally Kanbe Shrine and Otoshimioya Shrine, on a single sacred site at the foot of Shizuoka's Mount Sengen, with a history of worship at the location said to stretch back over a thousand years. The complex holds special significance to the Tokugawa family, since Tokugawa Ieyasu underwent his coming-of-age ceremony here in 1555 during his years in Sunpu, and after he rose to power he sponsored major reconstruction and expansion of the shrine buildings, a patronage pattern continued by later shoguns who funded further rebuilding through the 17th century. The present buildings largely date from a 60-year reconstruction project completed in the early 19th century, executed in an elaborate style featuring extensive carved and lacquered ornamentation comparable to the Toshogu shrines, with over 20 of the shrine's structures designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The complex is organized as a chronological and devotional route rather than a museum-style display, with visitors moving through a series of gates and courtyards linking the different shrine buildings, each dedicated to different deities associated with agriculture, matchmaking, and protection of the local Sunpu-Shizuoka area. Behind the main shrine buildings, a trail leads up Mount Sengen to Yakuoji Shrine and further hilltop precincts, extending the site into a small mountain pilgrimage circuit. The shrine's woodwork, done in the same tradition of gold leaf and vermilion lacquer seen at Kunozan Toshogu, has undergone periodic restoration to maintain the carved details and coloring against weathering, and sections of the complex are restored on a rotating basis.