Unravelling the sacred animals inside the Toshogu Shrine

#summervacay
Inside Toshogu Shrine are certain famous carvings that are easily missed when uninformed. In the Three Sacred Storehouses, one can find the Sozonozo Elephants or "Imagined Elephants" because the artist just imagined what elephants look like based on descriptions and i say they are very accurate! Another one is the "See No evil, Hear No evil and Speak No evil" three wise monkey carvings which are based on Buddhist belief of morality. And finally, the most famous one is the Nemuri Neko carving or "Sleeping Cat", which at first we did not spot but was able to on the second viewing. It is said that it guards the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu abd ready to pounce on intruders. Certainly incredible pieces of religious art!
#nemurineko
#nikkojapan

Post by traveller-59 | Jun 20, 2025