Description of the attraction
Ueno Park was once just a hill that shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu prized for the fact that he successfully covered his palace from the northeast - according to Buddhist ideas, it was from this side that evil forces usually had to appear. Tokugawa built the Kanyeiji family temple on this hill in 1625, which eventually became the tomb of six shoguns.
Later, other temples were built in Ueno, thanks to which the park can be called a center of religion and culture. For example, the Kanyeiji Temple Kiyomizudo, built in honor of the goddess of mercy Kannon. Modern Japanese come here with prayers for procreation, and in gratitude they leave a doll to the goddess. Every year on September 25, the accumulated dolls are solemnly sacrificed to the goddess, burning at the stake. There is also the Bentendo Jinja Temple, located on an islet in the middle of a large lotus pond. The Ueno Toshogu Shrine was erected in memory of the ruler Ieyasu Tokugawa. This temple is considered a national treasure and represents the gongeng architectural style. An alley of 250 stone lamps leads to the entrance to the temple, and next to it there is a pagoda in five tiers.
For Edo (the former name of Tokyo), Ueno Hill had the same meaning as the sacred Mount Hiei for the ancient capital of Japan Kyoto - a symbol of spiritual tranquility.
In Ueno Park, tourists can also see evidence of the military prowess of samurai and military leaders. These include the statue of Takamori Saigo, a valiant warrior and rebel who rebelled against the emperor in the 19th century, and the Shogitai Memorial, erected in memory of the samurai who died at the Battle of Ueno.
Today, Ueno Park is a very famous and visited place in Tokyo, considered the best in the capital for contemplating cherry blossoms. The first Museum of Fine Arts and the first zoo in the Land of the Rising Sun were opened in Ueno.
In addition to them, the park houses the Tokyo National Museum, which houses ancient artifacts, the National Museum of Western Art - it is easy to find it by the statue of Rodin "The Thinker" at the entrance, and the halls show canvases by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh. It is worth visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, the Shitamachi History Museum, which presents the life of artisans and traders of old Tokyo, the National Museum of Science and Natural History, founded in 1871.
