Sensoji or Asakusa Kannon Temple has an intriguing history. Legend says that two brothers who were fishermen accidentally caught in their net a statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, in the nearby Sumida River. No matter how many times they tried to put the statue back into the river, it returned to them. One day, a wealthy villager learned about the presence of the statue of Kannon and realized its importance. In the year 628, he turned his house in Asakusa into a place of worship for Kannon so the villagers could show their reverence to the goddess. The temple was completed in 645, which makes Sensoji or Asakusa Temple the oldest temple in Tokyo. However, it is important to note that the original structure was damaged during one of the air raids in Tokyo in World War II. The current rogue temple was rebuilt thereafter and it has been the symbol of rebirth and peace.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable images taken in Sensoji is Kaminarimon or the Thunder Gate. Kaminarimon is the outer gate of Sensoji Temple where a huge chochin or red lantern hangs from the center of the gate. The red lantern is 3.9 meters tall, 3.3 meters wide, and weighs around 700 kilograms. If one looks closely, there is are characters on the big lantern that say “Kaminarimon”, which translates to “thundergate”. If one looks up while while beneath the red lantern, one will see a wooden carving of a dragon etched at the base of the lantern. Virg and I went there twice: first, on the night we met with the Matcha staff, and second, the following day during our Hato Bus Dynamic Tokyo tour. Both times, I failed to touch the base of the red lantern because of my, uhm, TR-like height. Kaminarimon is flanked by statues of two gods, Fujin-sama or the god of wind on the right side and Raijin-sama or the god of thunder and lighting on the left side. Two additional statues stand on the reverse side of Kaminarimon, the Buddhist god Tenryu on the east and the goddess Kinryu on the west side.
Right after the Kaminarimon is 250 meters of shopping street called Nakamise Dori or inside street filled to the brim with numerous stalls selling all things imaginable and the direct proportion of people willing to shell out their yen for the most kawaii item, whether edible or non-edible. More on Nakamise Dori on my next post.
After the beautiful chaos of Nakamise Dori, is the second and actual main gate gate of Sensoji temple, the Hozomon. Just like most of Sensoji, Hozomon was also burned down during one of the Tokyo air raids. The current structure was built in 1964. It is built using steel-reinforced concrete and with flame resistant materials, which makes it the best storage for Sensoji’s precious sutras, which includes a copy of the Lotus Sutra.
Whereas the Kaminarimon has four statues, the Hozomon has two guardian statues that stand on either side of the gate. The statues are called Nio, the guardian deities of Buddha. Their presence gave Hozomon its old name, Niomon or Nio Gate.
Hozomon has three lanterns. The largest is a red chochin that hangs under the center of the gate’s opening. It has a height of 3.75 meters and a weight of 400 kilograms. The red chochin is flanked by two 2.75-meter tall copper toro. Each toro weighs around 1,000 kilograms.
Facing the Hozomon from the inside, one will see o-waraji. O-waraji is a pair of traditional straw sandals that was made by 800 citizens of Murayama City in a month and devoted to Sensoji. O-waraji is 4.5 meters high and weighs 2,500 kilograms. They are the charm against evils because they are symbolic of the power of Ni-ou. Wishing for being goodwalkers, many people will touch the O-waraji.
Also found within Sensoji or Asakusa Kannon Temple grounds is Goju-no-to, a five-storied pagoda. Goju-no-to was originally built in 1407 and stands 27.6 meters. The main deity in Goju-no-to is the Buddha of Medicine.
The Hondo or Main Hall stands almost at the end of the compound. There is a long line in the Main Hall, so while waiting one can look up and stare at the artworks from Sensoji collection. There is a place for worship for the believers. Just before the Main Hall is an ablution fountain where some visitors congregate to be in the presence of smoke coming from incense. We were told to “catch” the smoke and “rub” it in our body parts that need healing or improvement. I tried it and “rubbed” the smoke on two body parts. If you see me, ask me which ones I chose.
Directly to the left of Hondo are Yogodo Hall and Yakushido Hall. Yogodo Hall was built in 1994 to commemorate the 1,200th anniversary of the birth of Ennin, the monk who established Sensoji. Inside, statues of Bodhisattva Kannon, and of 12 protective Buddhas, each assigned to a particular year of the oriental zodiac cycle, are worshipped. A little farther is the Awashimado Hall. In the general direction of these places, the Goju-no-to pagoda is also visible. The lower part of the pagoda is blocked by food stalls but it looks good in the afternoon glow of the sun. There is also a garden, a bridge and a pond for those who want to reflect a little.
To the right of the Main Hall is the Asakusa Shrine. Asakusa Shrine is a Shinto shrine, but do not get confused. The compound is an all-inclusive place. The compound where Asakusa Shrine is located has a place for cleansing the hands (I am not sure) and the shrine has the crests of the Asakusa Jinja – the three nets to symbolize the fishermen in the legend mentioned at the start of this long post.
After we visited the Asakusa Jinja Shrine, we saw a rickshaw with two passengers within the compound. Atsushi related to us that he was a rickshaw driver for ten years. He saw the expression of surprise and disbelief in our faces, so he asked one guy to touch his thigh, which he claimed was made of steel. The guy did as he was told and he was in awe. Astute chose me to be the second and last person to have the honor of touching his thigh. I was shy, but he took my hand and guided it to his thigh. And true to his word, his thigh seemed like it did not have any flesh. It was more than rock solid. It was really like steel. Whoa!
Sensoji or Asakusa Kannon Temple Operating Hours:
Main Hall: 6am to 5pm
Gates and Grounds: Open 24 hours
Sensoji or Asakusa Kannon Temple Entrance Fee:
Free
How to Get to Sensoji or Asakusa Kannon Temple:
Go to Asakusa Station via Ginza Line and Asakusa Line. Take Exit 1 and walk straight with Tokyo Skytree behind you. At an intesection (near a café), look to the left to see Kaminarimon Gate.