■ History of Asakusa Sensoji Temple ■
The gate of Asakusa Temple "Thunder gate". We call"Kaminarimon".
Kamirarimon (Thunder Gate), the main gate of Sensoji
Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the main gate of Sensoji represents
Asakusa.
The official name is Furaijinmon (god of wind and
thunder). Fujin (god of wind) is located
on the right side, Raijin (god of thunder) on the left side.
…Sensoji History Start…
Dawning of Asakusa
1. Dawning of Asakusa
Asakusa was formed by sediment deposition carried by
the Tone River, the Arakawa River and the Iruma River. During the Kofun era (250 – 538 A.D.), it was
a small village where fishermen and farmers lived.
2.Appearance of Gohonzon (principal object of worship)
According to legend, a Buddha statue was found in the
Sumida River in 628 by two fishermen, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma
Takenari. This is the statue of a
bodhisattva Kannon, which Sensoji is dedicated to.
The origin of Sensoji Temple
3.The origin of Sensoji Temple
When the brothers showed the Kannon statue to their
chief, Hajino Nakamoto (also known as Hajino Manakachi), he recognised the
sanctity of the statue, entered the priesthood, and enshrined it by remodeling
his own house into a temple. This is
said to be the beginning of Sensoji. The
Kannon statue is said to be a golden statue of 5.5 cm tall, however the entity
is unknown as it is a treasure never to be disclosed.
4. Revitalisation by Jikaku Daishi
In 645, 17 years after the appearance of Gohonzon,
Shokai Shonin visited the area and built a Kannondo in order to enshrine and
treasure the Kannon statue. Later, in 854,
Jikaku Daishi created a duplicate of the original Kannon statue upon his visit.
Taira no Kinmasa to build the Sensoji
5.Taira no Kinmasa to build the Sensoji
In 942, in the middle of the Heian era, on the way back
to Kyoto, Taira no Kinmasa, the Governor of Awa Province prayed Sensoji to be
appointed to the Governor of Musashi Province. His wishes were realised, and he
built Sensoji and donated fields, to feel grateful to the temple.
6.A visit by Minamoto Yoritomo
In 1180, when Minamoto Yoritomo arranged his army in
Ishihama, Asakusa, he visited Sensoji to pray for victory over the Heike
Clan. He also requested Sensoji’s temple
carpenters to help building the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura. Sensoji had been worshipped among many
military commanders and cultured people, and spread its name throughout the
country.
Considerable support by Tokugawa Shoguns
7.Considerable support by Tokugawa Shoguns
In 1590, when Tokugawa Ieyasu entered in the Edo castle, he designated Sensoji as a tutelary place and enlarged its
territory. In 1616, building of Toshogu
was confirmed and Zuishinmon Gate (Nitenmon Gate) was built in Asakusa in order
to worship Ieyasu. After the fire in the Kanei era, Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilt
Kannondo in 1649. During World War II,
the temple was bombed and destroyed. The current Hondo was rebuilt in 1958.
8. Edo era – Prosperity of the temple grounds and Okuyama
area
Along with the prosperity of Edo Tokyo, the visitors of
Sensoji increased, Asakusa became the cultural centre for Edo. At the golden age of the Edo era, hundreds of
small Shinto shrines were built in the temple grounds and Asakusa became a
sacred place to worship by the common people. Okuyama area became popular for
the Sensoji visitors to see street performance and shows. Seasonal events including Setsubun in spring
were also very crowded.
In the Meiji era, the temple grounds became Asakusa
Park. Sixth District became famous as an
entertainment district, making the great contribution to Japanese film and
theatre history. With the opening of the horse-driven railway-carriage line in
1882 and the Japan’s first skyscraper, Ryounkaku (also known as Asakusa
Twelve-stories, 52m high) in 1890, Asakusa led the movement of civilisation and
enlightenment.
Performance in Sensoji Temple
9.Performance in Sensoji
The reconstruction of Tokyo after World War II extended
to Asakusa area. "Kinryu no Mai” (Golden Dragon Dance) in commemoration of
rebuilding of Hondo in 1958, “Fukuju no Mai” (Good Fortune Dance) since 1964,
“Shirasagi no Mai” (White Heron Dance) in honor of the 100th anniversary of
Tokyo as the nation’s capital, are respectively performed every year. Tokyo Sky Tree (634m high, the upper
observatory; 450m high
) is opened close to Asakusa in 2012.
