To the north of the courtyard, this fine Chinese portal from 1617 (three of the seven deities of luck are carved on its west side) is the entrance to the central shrine: the Honsha. This consists of the Hai-den (prayer hall), the Ishinoma (stone room), whose essential function is to connect the world of humans (Hai-den) to that of the gods, Hon-den. This latter space is the most sacred in Tosho-gu, as it houses the spirits (kami) of Ieyasu, Toyotomi and Yoritomo (rooms closed to the public).