Kyoto, Japan Dec. 07 Sat 11:16PM
A Hero's Shrine
Toyokuni Shrine was built in 1599, a year after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, to commemorate him . Toyotomi is considered one of the three heroes of Japan, a preeminent samurai and warlord. The shrine was the first location of a tayama, or a Shinto altar used for ancestor worship, but was later destroyed by the clan of a clashing warlord, the Tokugawa Shogunate. The shrine was also closed in 1615 by the Tokugawa clan to discourage warship of an opposing clan. The shrine was later restored in 1868 by the Meiji Emporer.