Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–1651) was the third shogun of the Tokugawa family, under whose rule Japan turned from a country of numerous warlords constantly fighting with each other to a unified political body spanning three of Japan’s four main islands. Iemitsu played an important role in the history of Ninnaji, helping to fund its reconstruction from ruins that had languished since time of the Onin War (1467–1477).
When Iemitsu visited Kyoto in 1634, the Ninnaji monk Kakushin sought an audience with the shogun to petition him to support the temple’s reconstruction. Kakushin was in a position that few other monks enjoyed, being a direct descendent of the imperial family. Thanks to his contact with Iemitsu, the temple received the necessary permission and resources needed for the reconstruction, which eventually took place between 1640 and 1646. Most of the buildings that remain on the temple grounds today were constructed at that time.