Senso-ji

The statue

Two brothers fishing in the Sumida River found a statue

The origins of Sensō-ji are uncertain. According to legend, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari discovered a statue of Kannon while fishing in the Sumida River in 628. The statue is never displayed to the public.

628year the Kannon statue is said to have been found

The gate

The Thunder Gate was first built in 941 and has burned many times

The Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, was first built in 941 by the military commander Taira no Kinmasa. It burnt to the ground in 1757 and again in 1865. The current gate dates to 1960, rebuilt with donations from Konosuke Matsushita.

The street

Shops on the approach date to 1685 and still sell to pilgrims

In 1685 shops that would become Nakamise were established on the main approach to the temple. Nakamise-dori is now lined with small shops selling fans, woodblock prints, kimono, Buddhist scrolls and traditional sweets.

The buckets

In 1923 a bucket brigade held back the fire in the temple grounds

Much of the Asakusa district was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. A local construction master led the evacuees within the temple grounds in a bucket brigade firefighting operation, and damage at Sensō-ji was limited to a few buildings.

1945

The main hall and pagoda were lost in the 1945 air raid

The temple was destroyed in the firebombing air raid on Tokyo of 10 March 1945. The main hall was rebuilt in the 1950s with a titanium tiled roof, the Kaminarimon in 1960, the Hōzōmon in 1964 and the pagoda in 1973.