Category: JAPAN

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: SENSŌ-JI MAIN HALL

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Main Hall (Kannon-dō / Hondo)

The main hall of Sensō-ji enshrines Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and goes back to a temple founded in 645, making this Tokyo’s oldest temple site. The hall was rebuilt many times under the Tokugawa shoguns, survived fires and earthquakes, but was finally destroyed in the Tokyo air raids of 1945. The present building, completed in 1958 with donations from people across Japan, stands as both a living place of worship and a postwar symbol of recovery and resilience.

29nov 25

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: JIZŌ, BUDDHAS, & BELLS

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Boshi Jizō (母子地蔵) – literally “Mother and Child Jizō.”
This statue was created after World War II as a memorial for Japanese mothers and children who were trapped in Manchuria and couldn’t return to Japan in the chaos at the end of the war.
Many died in exile or were separated from their families forever. The statue was built to comfort their spirits and to express a collective prayer of “never repeat the mistake of war.”
The Stone Lantern of Rokujizō at Sensō-ji is a 2.3-meter-tall hexagonal lantern carved with six tiny Jizō guardians, one for each realm of existence.
It once stood by the Sumida River, protecting travelers, and was moved to Sensō-ji in 1890. Today it survives as a weathered, ancient monument – a quiet reminder that Jizō is watching over people in every world, from old Edo riverbanks to modern Asakusa.
It’s very old – the exact year is unknown, but traditions suggest dates as early as the 12th or 14th century, which would make it one of the oldest stone monuments in Tokyo.
Although people call them “two Buddhas,” they actually show two bodhisattvas:
Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) on one side – the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion
Seishi (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) on the other – the bodhisattva of wisdom and spiritual power.
The Bell of Time (時の鐘 toki no kane) at Bentendō is the old “clock” of Asakusa.
Edo-period time signal
The bell was re-cast in 1692 (Genroku 5) by order of the 5th shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.
In the Edo period, bells like this were the city’s timekeepers. Sensō-ji’s bell was one of the official time bells for Edo, ringing at fixed times so people in the city could set their day by the sound.
Bashō’s haiku
The bell is famous in literature because Matsuo Bashō wrote about it in his haiku:
花の雲　鐘は上野か　浅草か
Hana no kumo / kane wa Ueno ka / Asakusa ka
“Clouds of blossoms—
is that the bell in Ueno
or in Asakusa?”
He was living across the river in Fukagawa and could hear the bell from there.
Survival and today
During World War II many temple bells were melted down for metal, but this bell was spared because of its historical importance.
Today it’s still rung every morning at 6:00 a.m. by a monk, marking the start of the day in Asakusa, and again on New Year’s Eve as the joya no kane (New Year’s bell).
Benten-dō (Bentendō Hall) is a small sub-temple inside the Sensō-ji complex, on the little hill southeast of the main hall.
Who is enshrined there?
It is dedicated to Benzaiten (Benten), the only female member of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods.
She is a goddess of music, arts, wisdom, water, and good fortune.
Jizō is a bodhisattva – a compassionate being who delays enlightenment to help others.
In Japan he is especially loved as:
Protector of children and babies, including miscarried or stillborn children
Guardian of travelers and people in danger
A guide for souls who suffer in the afterlife
The bright red cloths (よだれかけ yodarekake) are offerings:
Red is a protective color in Japanese folk belief – it’s thought to ward off illness and evil.
Parents and grandparents often give a bib or little hat to Jizō
to pray for a child’s health or safety, or
to comfort a child who has died and ask Jizō to guide and care for them.

29nov25

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: AMIDA NYORAI

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This bronze statue is Amida Nyorai, the Buddha of Infinite Light, who guides souls to the Western Pure Land.
Sitting in deep meditation on a lotus, he waits quietly in Sensō-ji’s garden as a protector of the dead and a gentle reminder to the living that peace and rebirth are always possible.

29nov25

“I am the Buddha of the lost and the tired; your imperfection is the very reason I vowed to wait.”

ASAKUSA, JAPAN STREET ART: SHIRANAMI GONIN OTOKO

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This is Nippon Daemon (日本駄右衛門) – the leader of the “Shiranami Gonin Otoko” (白浪五人男), a famous gang of gentleman-thieves from Edo-period kabuki plays.

You see statues of these kabuki characters around Asakusa because the area is closely linked with traditional theatre and old Edo culture.

In Asakusa’s Denbōin-dori they’ve hidden statues of all five thieves, but I only noticed two!


This is Benten Kozō Kikunosuke (弁天小僧菊之助) – one of the five dashing thief characters from the kabuki play Shiranami Gonin Otoko (Aoto Zōshi Hana no Nishikie).

29nov25

ASAKUSA, JAPAN: FIVE-STORY PAGODA AT SENSŌ-JI

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The five-story pagoda at Sensō-ji stands beside the main hall as one of Asakusa’s key symbols. It is a Buddhist pagoda dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and represents the five elements in Buddhist cosmology (earth, water, fire, wind, sky).

The first pagoda here was built in 942 CE by the military commander Taira no Kinmasa. Over the centuries it was destroyed several times by fire and rebuilt, and in 1911 it was designated a national treasure. The old pagoda, together with the main hall, was burned down in the Tokyo air raids of 1945.

29nov25

TOKYO (ASAKUSA,) JAPAN STREET ART: OLD TOKYO

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An homage to Edo-period ukiyo-e:

stylish women of the “floating world,” symbolizing brief beauty – Old Tokyo.

Asakusa
t o k y o
Japan 🇯🇵

29nov25

TOKYO (ASAKUSA,) JAPAN STREET ART: MAKING MOCHI

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29nov25

TOKYO (ASAKUSA,) JAPAN STREET ART: SAMURAI & GEISHA

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29nov25

TOKYO (ASAKUSA,) JAPAN STREET ART: FESTIVAL

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29november2025

TOKYO (ASAKUSA,) JAPAN: KAMINARIMON GATE AT SENSŌ-JI

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When people say “the gate at Asakusa,” they usually mean Kaminarimon – the Thunder Gate.

Kaminarimon (雷門) – the Thunder Gate is the outer gate on the main street, with the huge red lantern that says “雷門.”
• Its formal name is Fūjin Raijin-mon – “Gate of the Wind God and Thunder God.”


• On one side is Raijin, god of thunder; on the other is Fūjin, god of wind – both there to protect the temple from storms, floods, and fires.

• The first Kaminarimon was built in 941, but the one standing now is from 1960, rebuilt after a fire with donations from the founder of Panasonic.

The giant lantern 🏮 is almost a character in its own right – nearly four meters tall and weighing hundreds of kilos. During big festivals, they actually fold it up so mikoshi (portable shrines) can pass under it.

29nov25