Maki Saga, a Shinto priest at Ueno Toshogu
We talked with Maki Saga, a Shinto priest at Ueno Toshogu. (Interview: February 2019)
About the history of Ueno Toshogu
Q: Was this area the grounds of the Todo family? Was Ueno Toshogu built within the grounds?
Saga: I heard that the whole area including Ueno Toshogu and Ueno Zoological Gardens was the grounds of Takatora Todo's secondary dwelling, who was a feudal lord of the Tsu domain.
Q: Ueno Toshogu was built in order to worship Ieyasu Tokugawa. Could you tell me about the origin of Ueno Toshogu?
Ieyasu called Takatora Todo and Buddhist Priest Tenkai to come to his bedside two months before his death, and asked them to make a place where all three of them could rest in peace as his dying wish. Then, when the precincts (the present Ueno Park) of Kan-eiji Temple was developed, Ueno Toshogu was built at the site of Takatora Todo's secondary dwelling, who was a feudal lord of the Tsu domain at that time.
Q: Was the general public allowed to visit Ueno Toshogu since it was founded?
Originally, they were not allowed. There was Asakusa Toshogu next to Senso-ji Temple. People who could not go to Nikko Toshogu visited Asakusa Toshogu. But Asakusa Toshogu was burnt down. Since fire should not break out at a shrine where Ieyasu Tokugawa was enshrined, Asakusa Toshogu was not allowed to be reconstructed. So Ueno Toshogu was rebuilt in 1651 as a shrine corresponding to Nikko Toshogu in order to make a place that people in Edo could visit.
Q: Did Toshogu exist in the precincts of Senso-ji Temple?
There is a log bridge near the five-storied pagoda of Senso-ji Temple. Asakusa Toshogu was located at a place beyond the bridge. It was a place that people in Edo could visit. There was also another Toshogu at Momijiyama in the Edo Castle that only shoguns could visit.
Q: Buddhist Priest Tenkai who founded Toeizan belonged to the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Which sect does Ueno Toshogu belong to?
Ueno Toshogu is a shrine of Tosho Daigongen, of which head shrine is Nikko Toshogu. There are also descriptions of "Toeizan Toshogu" in old records, so Ueno Toshogu was considered to be a branch temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism.
Q: What is the official name?
It is now officially called Toshogu as with Nikko and Kunozan. (continued in the right column)
"Chokugaku," or nameplate bestowed from an emperor, of Toshogu
Chokugaku bestowed when the Imperial surname was given to the shrine by the Emperor Go-komyo in 1646
Q: Ueno Toshogu escaped damage during the Boshin Civil War, didn't it?
The headquarters of Shogitai was placed near Ueno Toshogu during so-called Battle of Ueno (July 4, 1868) fought on the hill of Ueno, one of the battles in the Boshin Civil War. Although Kan-eiji Temple's inner temple suffered from a conflagration, Toshogu, the five-storied pagoda, Gokokuin and Kiyomizu Kan-nondo escaped the fire. Other Toshogus also did not catch fire. I think, although the Imperial troops hated the Tokugawa shogunate, they avoided destroying Toshogus because they had a sense of awe for Toshogus where deities were enshrined.
Q: How was Ueno Toshogu initially managed? Was the five-storied pagoda also managed by Ueno Toshogu?
Now, the five-storied pagoda is facing a promenade in Ueno Zoological Gardens. However, its original facade is the side facing the approach of Ueno Toshogu. Toshogus were erected by the Tokugawa shogunate, and the same chief priest served both Nikko and Ueno Toshogus for a long time. Now, different priests have served the two shrines.
Q: Could you tell me about the structure of management organizations? Is it related to Kan-eiji Temple?
Ueno Toshogu is currently a religious corporation, and belongs to the Association of Shinto Shrines, so it is one of the shrines that are under the Association of Shinto Shrines. Although Ueno Toshogu and Kan-eiji Temple were separated due to the Edict for Separation of Shintoism and Buddhism in the Meiji Period, they had historically been one organization that practiced the syncretic fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism, so we have still consulted with Kan-eiji Temple.
Q: Aren't people at large worshiped in this shrine?
Yes. Ieyasu, Yoshimune and Yoshinobu Tokugawa are enshrined in Ueno Toshogu.
Q: Buddhist Priest Tenkai created the hill of Ueno as Toeizan following the example of Kyoto. What was the position of Toshogu?
We are often asked that, although Kyoto does not have notable Toshogu, why this place have Toshogu, while having Toeizai modeled on Mount Hiei, Kiyomizu Kan-nondo that is likened to Kiyomizu Temple, and Shinobazuno Pond designed in imitation of Lake Biwa. I think, in addition to Ieyasu's dying wish, since it was a very important shrine created by the Tokugawa shogunate, it was also necessary to have Toshogu. (continued in the next page)
Maki Saga, a Shinto priest at Ueno Toshogu