Sensō-ji Temple

In front of you is the main hall of Sensō-ji, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple and the heart of Asakusa. The smoke from the incense burner, which people waft over themselves to draw good health, wraps around a story that begins in the water.

1An image in the net

According to the temple's own chronicle, in the year 628 the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari were fishing in the Sumida River when a small statue of Kannon, the Buddhist deity of compassion, got caught in their net. A local man, Hajino Nakatomo, recognised it as a sacred image and turned his house into a shrine for it. In 645 the monk Shōkai built the first hall and decreed that the image should be kept secret.

Ever since, the main image has been a hibutsu, a hidden Buddha: it is shown to no one, not even at the great festivals.

No one even knows for certain what it looks like or what it is made of. What worshippers see is a copy that is put on display on special occasions. Legend adds that when the temple was founded a golden dragon came down from the sky; hence the temple's mountain name, Kinryūzan, ‘golden dragon mountain’.

2What survived the fire

The air raids of March 1945 destroyed almost the entire temple; the present hall dates from 1958. Just a few steps away, however, Asakusa Shrine, dedicated to the three men of the legend, survived both the 1923 earthquake and the war. Its building dates from 1649.

3What to look for

• The great lantern of the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, at the entrance to the precinct.
• The incense burner in front of the hall: watch how people fan the smoke towards themselves.
• Asakusa Shrine, to the right of the hall, plainer and older.