SENSO JI TEMPLE

by Ala on in Japan - Tokyo

I have already mentioned Senso ji temple in my article ASAKUSA, as it is located in this part of Tokyo.  Senso ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo. 1,390 years and 19 days ago today, if I am counting properly, two fishermen brothers were fishing in the Sumida river. It was in the morning of 18th March 628 and Asakusa was just a small fishing village in those times in Musashino area of the Tokyo bay.  The brothers were Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari. They discovered the statue of Bodhisattwa Kannon in their fishing net.

In 645 Buddhist priest Shokai came to this area and built a shrine for the Kannon. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333) the Shoguns were deeply devoted to the cult of the Kannon and under their patronage, Senso-ji became a full scale Buddhist temple. In the Tokugawa period(1603-1868) Edo became the nation´s capital and the leaders established Senso-ji as their prayer hall. Senso-ji also became a place of worship for the common people.  It is in fact Japan´s oldest Buddhist temple for common people. The temple attained great splendor, exerting an enormous influence on Edo culture.

It has attracted this widespread popularity thanks to this merciful goddess of Kannon – Asakusa no Kannon-sama.

When you enter the temple grounds “properly” or “orderly”, you enter through the Kaminarimon gate. Kaminarimon = Thunder gate – everybody wants to take a picture in front of it. To the left the statue of Raijin = the God of Thunder can be seen, to the right the statue of Fuujin = the Wind God can be seen 
Senso ji has since its beginnings always been used by common people and it is extremely popular even nowadays – both with worshippers and tourists. Crowds of people never seem to diminish. Look at those throngs around the Hozo-mon Gate 

Five-Storied Pagoda we can see now was constructed in 1973 thanks to donations from the nation. Busshari – Buddha´s ashes were given as a gift from the royal temple of Sri Lanka. The original pagoda at this spot was built by military commander Taira no Kinmasa in 942. Later it was rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu. Unfortunately it was burned to the ground during an air raid on March 10, 1945 
Kannondo – Main Hall – interior –  is divided into the naijin = inner sanctum and the gejin = outer sanctum. Here we can see people in the outer sanctum, the inner sanctum  and behind the partition there is the inner sanctum