The Corporate Sage: Asakusa Tour: Kiminarimon & Sensoji

Last October 06, the class went to Asakusa to look around Sensoji Temple and have a discussion with a Mr. Shimizu, a head in the temple. The class met at the Kiminarimon gate, the entrance to Sensoji. This week, we went to discuss on the significance and history of sensoji and the pagoda and the place in general (since we had a previous tour in Asakusa but on the other side).

I was amazed in seeing the Kiminarimon gate. It was so big, and the place was so crowded. As professor started the tour, he discussed the history of Sensoji. I learned that Asakusa is one of the centers of traditional culture here in Japan, where buildings and temples that have survived the air raids from the world war are still present. About Sensoji, there was supposed to be a legend that two fishermen found a statue of the goddess Kannon (known as the goddess of mercy) along the bank of Sumida river. It was only a few inches tall. They threw it away but was able to fish it again. So they brought it to the head of the village and thought that it was sacred that the statue was found twice. So they built a temple for the people to worship it. The Sensoji temple is one of the oldest temples in Japan that was able to survive the air raids.

Kaminarimon was also as old as the sensoji temple. I learned that the gate was in someplace else, then it was moved in Asakusa. It was burned and destroyed many times from the war and air raids, but it was reconstructed on 1960. It still stands today from that time. Looking at its details, there are obvious things you can notice in the gate: the two huge statues on the side and the huge lantern in the middle. I learned that the two statues on the side were the gods Raijin and Fujin, the lightning and the wind gods, respectively. The huge lantern in the middle has the writings of the word Kiminarimon carved in it. We would never have noticed the dragon carving beneath the bell if the professor did not mention it. It was supposed to be a golden dragon. I also learned that the temple's building was funded by Panasonic.

We then proceeded to approach the temple. We passed by Nakamise-dori, a line of shops all the way to the temple. These shops were already present during the Edo period with a lot of commercial activity. It flourished in the pre-war period but was burned during the war then was rebuilt. There were a lot of shops selling souvenirs and food, but the professor pointed out a shop that sold obi and fans, but it was closed.

We then went to see the asakusa bell afterwards. I learned that the sound of the bell can be heard in far places like ueno. A great poet named Basho, made the bell popular by quoting:

“Sounding through clouds of flower. Is the bell in Ueno or Asakusa?”

we then proceeded to the Hozomon gate, a gate larger than the Kaminarimon. The professor pointed out symbols in the lanterns. It was a Buddhist swastika. It is similar to the nazi swastika, only that the buddhist version has round or curved edges on its side.

The professor then introduced us to father Shimizu, a priest in Sensoji temple. Mr. Shimizu then described the interiors of the temple as we went in. In the ceiling, he pointed out the images and described them. The center was the picture of the golden dragon that depicted the temple. He also said that the original statues are kept underground for safe keeping, as there are over 30 million visitors in the temple every year. The giant lantern in the main temple was donated by the geisha community.

As we proceeded for the pagoda, the professor pointed a carnival over the back of the temple. It was named Hanayashiki amusement park, founded 1853 (after the Edo period) and is the oldest amusement park in Japan. We then proceeded to the pagoda, as we were nearing it, I felt a wave of nausea, because something about it looked very familiar, even though it was my first time seeing one of those kinds. Father Shimizu described the pagoda as a 5-story building that was devoted for the goddess Kannon. It was burned by the war, but then it was rebuilt years after. After hearing its history, I realized that for me, it was the same temple as shown in the pokemon game. It was also described in the game that the pagoda was devoted for a great creature, but then it burned down because of an incident some years ago. We went in the pagoda and saw paintings depicting different situations.

We also went to look at the garden at the back of the pagoda. The scene was breathtaking. It was designed for the purpose that it was supposed to be beautiful in any angle. After the tour ended, me and my friends went around to look on more shops and places. We found quite an old shop near the asakusa bell that was selling bread and ice cream. Judging from the pictures in the front of the store, it must have been pretty old. We talked a bit with the owner, since he told me that he visited once in my home country. And I learned that his shop was famous before for their fresh bread even during the 1960s.

In the whole tour, the most interesting place for me was the interior of the temple where we sat in front of the shrine while father Shimizu discussed to us the temple's history and people. Nothing beats a discussion beside the gold-covered and sacred shrine. I also loved it because it was where I learned a lot of things. From the precious items being stored underneath and coin offerings having a chute directly leading underground, to the explanation of the drums, shrine, and place.

More pictures from the trip. Enjoy! :)