, is an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple, and one of its most significant. It is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. Structures in the temple complex include the main hall, a five-story pagoda and large gates. It is the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually. The temple is the 13th stop on the Bandà  Sanjà «sankasho pilgrimage route.
The temple was destroyed during a 10 March 1945 firebombing air raid on Tokyo during World War II. The main hall was rebuilt in the 1950s. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, the temple became independent in 1950 after the war. Leading to it is Nakamise-dà Âri street, containing many shops with traditional goods. Adjacent to the east of Sensà Â-ji is the Asakusa Shrine of the Shinto religion.
The origins of Sensà Â-ji are uncertain. According to legends found in sources such as the "Sensà  Engi", the temple began in the Asuka period when the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Takenari discovered a statue of Kannon while fishing in the Sumida River in 628. The headman of their village, Haji no Nakatomo became a monk and converted his home into a temple. In 645, a monk named Katsumi renovated the temple and, following a revelation in a dream, designated the statue as a hibutsu image. The statue is said to be made of gold and measuring approximately 5.5 centimeters in height, but its true details is unknown as it is never displayed to the public. If this account is true, it would make Sensà Â-ji the oldest-established temple in Tokyo. In 857, during the early Heian period and in 828, Ennin visited the temple and carved a maedachi Kannon statue (a statue for people to worship in place of the secret image). In 942, when Taira no Kinmasa was appointed Musashi-no-kami, he renovated the shichidà  garan, and the Kaminarimon Gate and Nià Âmon Gate were constructed at this time.
However, the first documented reference to Sensà Â-ji is in the Kamakura-period "Azuma Kagami." According to this chronicle, in 1181, carpenters were called in by Minamoto no Yoritomo from Asakusa to build Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gà « in Kamakura. Additionally, in 1192, monks from Sensà Â-ji participated in the 49th day memorial service for Emperor Goshirakawa held at Shà Âchà Âjà «-in in Kamakura. Lady Nijà  described her visit to Sensà Â-ji in her Towazugatari in 1290. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was in Edo, designated Senso-ji as an official place of prayer for the shogunate and granted the temple 500 koku of land. Sensà Â-ji's buildings had burned down many times before theEdo period, and after the start of the Tokugawa shogunate, they were destroyed by fire twice, in 1631 and 1642. However, with the assistance of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the five-story pagoda was rebuilt in 1648 and the main hall in 1649. In 1685, shops that would become "Nakamise" were established on the main approach to the temple. The temple granted these businesses permission in exchange for charging local residents for cleaning the grounds. By the mid-Edo period, street performances and other events began to take place in the area at the back west of the temple grounds, commonly known as "Okuyama," and the temple grounds became a place of entertainment for the common people. Between 1843 and the following year, the three Edo theaters moved to Asakusa, further strengthening this trend.
Asakusa continued to thrive as a popular entertainment and entertainment district into the Meiji period. In 1873, much of the temple grounds were designated as Asakusa Park. In 1890, the 12-story Ryà Âunkaku (commonly known as the "Asakusa Twelve-Story Tower"), a commercial facility and observation tower, was completed. While much of the Asakusa district was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantà  earthquake, a local construction master led the evacuees within the temple grounds in a bucket brigade firefighting operation, limiting damage to only a few buildings at Sensà Â-ji. However, the main hall (Kannon Hall), a former national treasure, and the five-story pagoda were destroyed in the 10 March 1945 firebombing air raid on Tokyo. The main hall was rebuilt in 1951âÂÂ58 The temple now has a titanium tiled roof that maintains a historic image but is stronger and lighter. The Kaminarimon gate was rebuilt in 1960, the Hà Âzà Âmon gate in 1964, and the pagoda in 1973. After World War II, Asakusa temporarily declined due to the diversification of entertainment options and the development of other entertainment districts in Tokyo. However, thanks to efforts by the local shopping district, it gradually regained its former vitality and has become a representative tourist destination in Tokyo as a town that retains its old-fashioned atmosphere, with annual events such as the Hagoita Market and Hozuki Market attracting large crowds.
Sensà Â-ji is the focus of Tokyo's largest and most popular festival, Sanja Matsuri. This takes place over 3 to 4 days in late spring, and sees the surrounding streets closed to traffic from dawn until late evening.
Dominating the entrance to the temple is the Kaminarimon or "Thunder Gate". This imposing Buddhist structure features a massive paper lantern dramatically painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning. Beyond the Kaminarimon is Nakamise-dori with its shops, followed by the Hà Âzà Âmon or "Treasure House Gate", which provides the entrance to the inner complex. Within the precincts stand a stately five-story pagoda and the main hall, devoted to Kannon.
Many tourists, both Japanese and from abroad, visit Sensà Â-ji every year. Catering to the visiting crowds, the surrounding area has many traditional shops and eating places that feature traditional dishes (hand-made noodles, sushi, tempura, etc.). Nakamise-Dori, the street leading from the Thunder Gate to the temple itself, is lined with small shops selling souvenirs ranging from fans, ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), kimono and other robes, Buddhist scrolls, traditional sweets, to Godzilla toys, t-shirts and mobile phone straps. These shops themselves are part of a living tradition of selling to pilgrims who walked to Sensà Â-ji.
Within the temple itself, and also at many places on its approach, there are o-mikuji stalls. For a suggested donation of 100 yen, visitors may consult the oracle and divine answers to their questions. Querents shake labelled sticks from enclosed metal containers and read the corresponding answers they retrieve from one of 100 possible drawers.
Within the temple is a quiet contemplative garden kept in the distinctive Japanese style.
The Nishinomiya Inari shrine was located within the precincts of Sensà Â-ji and a torii identified the entry into the hallowed ground of the shrine. A bronze plaque on the gateway structure listed those who contributed to the construction of the torii, which was erected in 1727 (Kyà Âhà  12, 11th month). After the Meiji government ordered the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in 1868, the Inari shrine was moved to the grounds of the Asakusa Shrine, where it was destroyed in the 10 March 1945 firebombing.
The is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately lead to the Sensà Â-ji (the inner being the Hà Âzà Âmon) in Asakusa. The gate, with its lantern and statues, is popular with tourists. It stands tall, wide and covers an area of . The first gate was built in 941, but the current gate dates back to 1960, after the previous gate was destroyed in a fire in 1865.
The Kaminarimon was first built in 941 AD by Taira no Kinmasa, a military commander. It was originally located near Komagata, but it was reconstructed in its current location in 1635. This is believed to be when the gods of wind and thunder were first placed on the gate. The gate has been destroyed many times throughout the ages. Four years after its relocation, the Kaminarimon burned down, and in 1649 AD Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilt the gate along with several other of the major structures in the temple complex. The gate burnt to the ground in 1757 AD and again in 1865 AD. The Kaminarimon's current structure was dedicated in December 1960 AD . Ninety-five years after the last fire, Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company (now Panasonic), was asked to rebuild the gate. With monetary donations from Matsushita, it was rebuilt in 1960.
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 Fà «jin and Raijin are displayed. Fà «jin, 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. The original sculptures were severely damaged in the fire of 1865, with only the heads being saved, and the statues restored for the gate's 1960 reconstruction.
Two additional statues stand on the reverse of the gate: the Buddhist god Tenryà « on the east, and the goddess Kinryà « on the west side. These were donated in 1978 to commemorate the 1350th anniversary of the first appearance of the bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteà Âvara) at Asakusa, which led to the founding of Sensà Â-ji. The statues were carved by then-106-year-old master sculptor Hirakushi Denchà «.
A giant red lantern (chà Âchin) hangs under the center of the gate. It is tall, wide and weighs approximately . The current lantern, the fifth iteration, was built by Takahashi Chà Âchin K.K in 2013 and has the same metallic base on the bottom as the previous lantern. The base has a name plate that says "Matsushita Denki", an abbreviated form of Panasonic's old Japanese name, Matsushita Denki Sangyo Kabushiki Gaisha. The front of the lantern displays the gate's name, . Painted on the back is the gate's official name, . During festivals such as Sanja Matsuri, the lantern is collapsed to let tall objects pass through the gate.
The characters on the tablet above the lantern read from right to left and reference the Sensà Â-ji.
The is the inner of two large entrance gates that lead to the Sensà Â-ji. It is a two-story gate (nijà «mon), and its second story houses many of the Sensà Â-ji's treasures. The first story houses two statues, three lanterns and two large sandals. It stands tall, wide, and deep.
The Hà Âzà Âmon was first built in 942 AD by Taira no Kinmasa. Destroyed by fire in 1631, it was rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1636. It stood for 300 more years until it was once again burned down during the Tokyo air raids of 1945. In 1964, the present steel-reinforced concrete structure was built with a donation of ÃÂ¥150 million from Yonetarà  Motoya.
Since the gate was reconstructed using flame-resistant materials, the upper story of the Hà Âzà Âmon stores the Sensà Â-ji's treasured sutras. These treasures include a copy of the Lotus Sutra that is designated a Japanese National Treasure and the Issai-kyà Â, a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures that has been designated an Important Cultural Property.
Unlike the Kaminarimon, which houses four different statues, the Hà Âzà Âmon houses two guardian statues that are located on either side of the gate's south face. These tall statues represent Nià Â, the guardian deities of the Buddha. Because of these statues, the gate was originally called the before it was renamed the Hà Âzà Âmon.
The gate also features three large lanterns. The largest and most prominent lantern is a red chà Âchin that hangs under the center of the gate's opening. With a height of , a diameter of and a weight of , the lantern displays the name of the town . The current iteration of the lantern dates back to 2003 when ÃÂ¥2 billion was donated by the people of Kobunachà Â. Its donation commemorated the 10th-year-anniversary of the start of the Edo period. On either side of the chà Âchin hangs five tall copper tà Ârà  weighing approximately each. All three lanterns are completely removed during festivals such as Sanja Matsuri.
On the Hà Âzà Âmon's east (back) face are the waraji, two long, wide straw sandals that weigh each.
The is a street that forms the approach to the temple. It is said to have been built in the early 12th century, when neighbors of Sensà Â-ji were granted permission to set up shops on the approach to the temple. However, in May 1885 the government of Tokyo ordered all shop owners to leave. That December the area was reconstructed in Western-style brick. During the 1923 Great Kantà  earthquake many of the shops were destroyed, then rebuilt in 1925 using concrete, only to be destroyed again during the bombings of World War II. The street is approximately long and contains around 72 shops.