April 18 / Senso-ji and Kaminarimon of Asakusa
Early in the morning on March 18, 628, when the capital of Japan was in Asuka, now a part of Nara Prefecture, two men were fishing in the Sumida River. Bringing in their net, they were surprised to see that it held one statue. When the statue was brought to the village headman he realized it was a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Sho Kanzeon Bosatsu), Kannon. Later he devoted himself to Buddhism and remade his house into a temple and devoted the rest of his life for worshipping and holding memorial services for this Kannon.
In 645, a Buddhist priest named Shokai came to this region and built a hall for the Kannon. Following a revelation he received in a dream, Shokai decided to hide the statue from view. Since that time, it has remained never unveiled.
Asakusa at the time was a small fishing village located in an estuary of Tokyo Bay in the vast wilderness of the area known as Musashino. It grew and flourished as people arrived in increasing numbers to worship. When Ennin (794-864), head priest of Enryaku-ji (the main temple of the Tendai School of Buddhism) visited Senso-ji in the mid-ninth century, he created a statue identical to the main image (absolute Hibutsu) so that it could be shown rarely to the public.
During the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), the Shoguns demonstrated great devotion to Senso-ji. Gradually, other prominent figures, including military leaders and literati, followed their example, and the temple’s importance increased. In 1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun, designated Senso-ji as the temple where prayers of the shogunate would be offered. After that the successive Tokugawa Shoguns had often visited Senso-ji and the belief in Kannon of the Senso-ji had spread among common people during the Edo Period(1603-1867).
As from the end of the 18th century through the 19th century Edo developed into the largest population city in the world, the culture specific to Edo flowered and Asakusa had become the center of Edo. And Senso-ji stands as the oldest temple in Tokyo.
The Kaminarimon (雷門, "Thunder Gate") is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji (the inner being the Hōzōmon) in Asakusa, Tokyo. The gate, with its big 3.9 m x 3.3 m, 700 kg chochin lantern (大提灯) and statues, is very popular. Kaminarimon gate stands 11.7 m tall, 11.4 m wide. The first gate was built in 941, then rebuilt in 1960 due to a fire in 1865.
This rebuilt-Kaminarimon was dedicated by Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company (now Panasonic). Four statues are housed in the Kaminarimon, two in the front alcoves and two on the other side. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods : Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on the west side.
Two statues stand on the reverse of the gate: the Buddhist god Tenryū on the east, and the goddess Kinryū on the west side. The statues were donated in 1978 to commemorate the 1350th anniversary of the first appearance of the Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) at Asakusa, which led to the founding of Sensō-ji. The statues were carved by then-106-year-old master sculptor Hirakushi Denchū.
The famous giant red lantern (chōchin) hangs under the center of the gate.
The current lantern, the fifth iteration, was built in 2013. The front of the lantern displays the gate's name, Kaminarimon (雷門). Painted on the back is the gate’s official name, Fūraijinmon (風雷神門).During festivals such as Sanja Matsuri, the lantern is collapsed to let tall objects pass through the gate. The giant chochin just got renewed yesterday April 17, 2020.
In 645, a Buddhist priest named Shokai came to this region and built a hall for the Kannon. Following a revelation he received in a dream, Shokai decided to hide the statue from view. Since that time, it has remained never unveiled.
Asakusa at the time was a small fishing village located in an estuary of Tokyo Bay in the vast wilderness of the area known as Musashino. It grew and flourished as people arrived in increasing numbers to worship. When Ennin (794-864), head priest of Enryaku-ji (the main temple of the Tendai School of Buddhism) visited Senso-ji in the mid-ninth century, he created a statue identical to the main image (absolute Hibutsu) so that it could be shown rarely to the public.
During the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), the Shoguns demonstrated great devotion to Senso-ji. Gradually, other prominent figures, including military leaders and literati, followed their example, and the temple’s importance increased. In 1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun, designated Senso-ji as the temple where prayers of the shogunate would be offered. After that the successive Tokugawa Shoguns had often visited Senso-ji and the belief in Kannon of the Senso-ji had spread among common people during the Edo Period(1603-1867).
As from the end of the 18th century through the 19th century Edo developed into the largest population city in the world, the culture specific to Edo flowered and Asakusa had become the center of Edo. And Senso-ji stands as the oldest temple in Tokyo.
The Kaminarimon (雷門, "Thunder Gate") is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji (the inner being the Hōzōmon) in Asakusa, Tokyo. The gate, with its big 3.9 m x 3.3 m, 700 kg chochin lantern (大提灯) and statues, is very popular. Kaminarimon gate stands 11.7 m tall, 11.4 m wide. The first gate was built in 941, then rebuilt in 1960 due to a fire in 1865.
This rebuilt-Kaminarimon was dedicated by Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company (now Panasonic). Four statues are housed in the Kaminarimon, two in the front alcoves and two on the other side. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods : Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on the west side.
Two statues stand on the reverse of the gate: the Buddhist god Tenryū on the east, and the goddess Kinryū on the west side. The statues were donated in 1978 to commemorate the 1350th anniversary of the first appearance of the Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) at Asakusa, which led to the founding of Sensō-ji. The statues were carved by then-106-year-old master sculptor Hirakushi Denchū.
The famous giant red lantern (chōchin) hangs under the center of the gate.
The current lantern, the fifth iteration, was built in 2013. The front of the lantern displays the gate's name, Kaminarimon (雷門). Painted on the back is the gate’s official name, Fūraijinmon (風雷神門).During festivals such as Sanja Matsuri, the lantern is collapsed to let tall objects pass through the gate. The giant chochin just got renewed yesterday April 17, 2020.
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