Tokugawa Art Museum & Garden

Explore a Shinto shrine that became a great spiritual center and an art museum where nearly three centuries of treasures are beautifully displayed. Atsuta Shrine was supposedly founded in the 3rd century to enshrine a legendary sacred sword. The last person claiming to see it was a priest from the Edo period, who soon died from a mysterious curse. Even so, millions of visitors come to Atsuta Shrine each year hoping that the magical sword will bring them luck. Artistic treasures are the draw of the Tokugawa Art Museum, which you will also browse.

Named for Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first shogun of the Edo Period, the museum contains more than 12,000 objects such as period furniture, armor, costumes and ceramics for tea ceremonies. All of the pieces are from the peaceful Edo Period, which lasted from 1603 to 1868, and the Tokugawa family donated many of the treasures.