An absolutely sweltering day today, decided to wander up the road to Asakusa again to have a proper look, and find out about Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's oldest established temple. The origins of Asakusa Kannon and Senso-ji Temple... According to the legend about the origin of Senso-ji Temple, two fishermen, Hinokuma Hamanari and his brother Takenari, discovered an image of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy) in the Sumida River in 628, and together with the headman of their village Haji-no-Nakatomo, built a hall to worship the image. Twenty years later, the Buddhist priest Shokai erected a Kannon temple at this spot. In March 1945, during World War II, the temple was burned down in an air raid and then reconstructed in 1958. Formally named Kinryuzan Senso-ji, but better known as Asakusa Kannon, it is the oldest
... read more