The shrines and tem­ples of Nikko, togeth­er with their nat­ur­al sur­round­ings, have for cen­turies been a sacred site known for its archi­tec­tur­al and dec­o­ra­tive mas­ter­pieces. They are close­ly asso­ci­at­ed with the his­to­ry of the Toku­gawa Shoguns.