• Sensou-ji Temple history: When Empress Suiko was fishing in Sumidagawa river early morning, March 18, 628, Empress Suiko felt the image of goddess of mercy. In 645, Buddhist monk Shoukai came to this place and built the Kannondo Hall, the principal image was provided as "Hidden Buddha", and this law is observed strictly until today since then. One of vast Musashino field and a small fishing village, Asakusa, at that time, was developed as believer had increased. Monk Jikaku (794-864) came here and created the principal image. The magnificence of the temple tower prospered greatly, so-called the center of the Edo culture, after it had been made to the prayer place of the shogunate by Ieyasu Tokugawa at the beginning of Edo period. Thus, Sensou-ji Temple, that is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, is familiar to all hierarchies on a nationwide scale by the name of Asakusa Kannon, and heartland of the people belief of which about 30 million a year visit.
  
  Thunder Gate : In 942, Kinmasa Taira created the gate with Wind God and Thunder God statues. These two gods were enshrined to protect damage from storm and flood or fire. Present gate was burnt by the big fire of December 12, 1865 and reconstructed by the contribution of Konosuke Matsushita of Founder of Panasonic in 1960. It became as a main gate of Sensou-ji temple. Moreover, Asakusa is also famous on a nationwide scale.
  
  Treasure warehouse gate: Kinmasa Taira built as a reward of the prayer accomplishment in 942. It blazed up due to fire several times, and rebuilt in every case since then. Iemitsu Tokugawa contributed again and the main temple and the treasure gate were completed on December 23, 1649. Afterwards, it was uneventful until it encountered the war damage on March 10, 1945. The present gate was reconstructed by the contribution of Yonetaro Otani, founder of Otani heavy industry and Hotel New Otani, as treasure storing house of Senso-ji.
  
  Main temple: Present main temple was rebuilt by the nationwide believer's help in October, 1958 as a same structure as the old main temple (national treasure and 3rd Shogunate Iemitsu Tokugawa's construction) although it burnt down due to war damage on March 10, 1945.
  
  Five-Storied Pagoda: Kinmasa Taira had built it in 942 with the main temple and though encountered several collapse and blazing up afterwards, but rebuilt in every case. National treasure Five-Storied Pagoda was built by 3rd Shogunate Iemitsu Tokugawa together with the main temple and the deva gate, etc. It was burnt down on March 10, 1945 by the Pacific War. New Five-storied Pagoda was rebuilt by the help of believer.
  
  Deva Gate: It is specified as important cultural asset. Two deva images are enshrined. It is eight-pole wooden vermilion-lacquered gate. It was built as a gate for "Toshogu shrine" in the Sensou-ji Temple precincts in 1608. Toshogu Shrine had burnt down in 1642, but only this gate remained.

Thunder gate of Sensoji-temple is main gate. Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Panasonic, contributed to reconstruct. Height 3.9m, width 3.3m, weight 700kg.
Left Thunder God	Right Wind God	Male statue	Female statue
Famous Asakusa shops arcade leading to Sensoji Temple while being jammed with a lot of people.
ミニ提灯や面白い小物グッズが沢山並んでいます。			宝蔵門(旧称 仁王門)
Old deva gate was rebuilt for treasure house gate.		Main temple was rebuilt in 1958.
A lot of people in the main temple.
Big lantern in main temple	Sake or alcohol barrel.	Treasure gate from main temple	Sitting Buddha.
Three floats of the temple festival.		Lantern of name of contributed person.	Five-Storied Pagoda was rebuilt in 1973.
五重塔は942年に本堂と共に建立された。		二天門は1608年建造で火災から焼け残っている。
Two devas of the gate.		Deva gate is eight-pole wooden vermilion-lacquered gate.
Yogodo shrine was built in 1994.		Main temple seen from side	Denpoin street

2010/05/01