Kishū Tōshō-gū, Shinto shrine in Wakayama, Japan.
Kishū Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine located on Mount Saiga in Wakayama, featuring vermilion-lacquered gates and pavilions that overlook Wakaura Bay. The complex is arranged on multiple levels that integrate traditional architecture with the natural hillside terrain.
Tokugawa Yorinobu, the tenth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, established this shrine in 1621 as a guardian sanctuary for the Nankaido region. Its construction reflected the political importance of the area during the Edo period.
The shrine's May festival, the Wakamatsuri, began in 1622 as a fūryū procession and was counted the greatest festival in the province during the Edo period, drawing spectators from other regions. It was revived in recent years and is held on the second Sunday of May. The shrine also keeps 96 masks and other festival items used in its parade, deposited at the Wakayama Prefectural Museum.
Visitors reach the main shrine by climbing Samurai-zaka, a sequence of 108 stone steps beginning at the shrine entrance. The site requires physical effort on the ascent, so plan time and wear appropriate footwear for the climb.
The shrine keeps a set of South Barbarian cuirass armour said to have belonged to Tokugawa Ieyasu and given by him to Yorinobu. The breastplate still bears bullet marks: two deep ones on the right from a musket and one on the left from a Japanese matchlock. Its elongated shape and tall helmet suggest Flemish manufacture.
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