Tokiwa Shrine

Tokiwa Shrine stands within the grounds of Kairakuen and enshrines Tokugawa Mitsukuni (1628–1700) and Tokugawa Nariaki (1800–1860), the two most revered lords of the Mito domain. The shrine is a quiet, dignified place even during the crowded plum festival season, with a forested approach and a small main hall.

Both men have near-legendary status in Mito. Mitsukuni is remembered as a learned, just ruler and the patron of Japan's greatest historical chronicle; Nariaki as the reformer who created Kairakuen and whose son eventually became the last shogun of Japan. The shrine is worth visiting in combination with Kairakuen — it adds a dimension to the garden's history.

things to do sight
A story
The shrine is dedicated to Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second lord of the Mito domain, who is venerated here as a deity. Mitsukuni is best known for commissioning the Dai Nihon-shi, an enormous history of Japan that took over 250 years to complete. But he is perhaps more famous in popular Japanese culture as "Mito Komon," the disguised wandering hero of one of Japan's longest-running TV dramas, in which he travels the country dispensing justice to corrupt officials.