Kunozan Toshogu Shrine

Founded in 1617 on top of Mount Kuno (216m) by Suruga Bay, Kunozan Tosho-Gu is a Shinto shrine and the original burial place of famous Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) who brought a long period of civil wars to an end and united all of Japan. Having spent the last decade of his life at the nearby Sumpu Castle, Ieyasu expressed his wish for a mausoleum on Mount Kunozan, the site of an ancient Buddhist temple named Kuno-ji dating from the early Nara period. While accessible via a ropeway, Kunozan Tosho-Gu main approach is actually located by the sea and involves a considerable climb of over a thousands stone steps up to the mountain, which also gives you an impressive view of the Suruga Bay itself.