Hinomisaki Shrine: Construction
The present shrine complex, with its elegant Gongen architectural style and stunning vermillion woodwork, was commissioned in 1634 by the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu (1604–1651). Completed in 1644, this compound includes shrines to both Amaterasu and Susanoo, and painstaking efforts have been taken in their construction. The interiors are particularly lavish, with richly colored ceilings and wall paintings by artists from the famed Kanō and Tosa schools. Though the interior decorations are not normally visible to visitors, there is much to appreciate in the carved panels running below the eaves of the main hall. Each panel depicts a unique animal, including the three monkeys who famously “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” that can be seen on the rear left side of the Amaterasu hall. The shrine originally had two entrances: one facing south for land visitors and one to the west, for those arriving by sea.