Toyokuni Shrine (Senjokaku)

In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the construction of the Great Sutra Hall by the government priest Ankokuji Ekei, so that 1,000 sutras could be recited once a month. It is the largest wooden building on the island, and is known as the Thousand Tatami Pavilion because it is as large as 857 tatami mats. Construction was halted following Hideyoshi's sudden death, so the ceiling remains uncovered except above the altar, and it remains unfinished to this day. As early as the Edo period, this place was a popular place for socializing and enjoying the cool breeze, and the large pillars are inscribed with the names of kabuki actors and senryu poems from that time. Following the Meiji era's Shinbutsu Bunri (law separating Shinto and Buddhism), the Buddha statue was moved to Daiganji Temple, and it became Toyokuni Shrine, dedicated to Hideyoshi.