A Memorial Shrine for Tokugawa Hidetada
The Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum (蓮華峰寺台徳院御霊屋) is a one-bay memorial shrine of the mid-Edo period in the precinct of Rengebuji Temple in Kobie, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 21, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber shrine with a wooden-shingle roof and a building area of 3.6 square metres; registration number 15-0128.
The Shrine of Hidetada
Taitokuin is the posthumous name of Tokugawa Hidetada, the second Tokugawa shogun, and Sado Sightseeing Navi notes memorial shrines to Ieyasu and Hidetada in the precinct. The Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum is the shrine for Hidetada.
It stands inside a shelter north of the Octagonal Hall, side by side with the Toshogu Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum was registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. The Agency notes the fine craftsmanship lavished on so small a building, and its good state of preservation.
What to Look For
Like the Toshogu, it is a one-bay shrine roofed in wooden shingles, but where the Toshogu has a hip-and-gable roof, the Taitokuin Mausoleum is gabled and entered at the gable end (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its carving, colour and bracketing match the Toshogu, and the two are thought to be of the same date.
Seen through the lattice of the shelter, the two shrines differ only in their roofs, while their carving and colour are of a piece. At the Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum, look for the entrance set in the gable end.
Visiting
The Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum stands inside the shelter north of the Octagonal Hall in the Rengebuji precinct, and its exterior can be seen within the grounds. No official information on interior access was found. Directions to the temple are given on the Rengebuji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum built?
- In the mid-Edo period, at the same time as the Toshogu (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who was Taitokuin?
- Tokugawa Hidetada, the second Tokugawa shogun; the precinct has memorials to Ieyasu and Hidetada.
- How does it differ from the Toshogu next to it?
- The Toshogu has a hip-and-gable roof; the Taitokuin Mausoleum is gabled. Their carving and colour match.
- Where is the Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum?
- Inside the shelter north of the Octagonal Hall, beside the Toshogu.
- When was the Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum registered?
- On August 21, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum (蓮華峰寺台徳院御霊屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kobie, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/08/21 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, wooden shingle roof, building area 3.6 square metres |
| Owner | Rengebuji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Visible from outside its shelter |
References
- Rengebuji Temple Taitokuin Mausoleum (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002909
Last verified: 2026.10.14
