H艒z艒mon Gate, Tokyo
Next stop on your Asakusa adventure is the H艒z艒mon Gate鈥攑art grand entrance, part historical vault, and all-around scene-stealer at Senso-ji Temple.
Now, don鈥檛 let the elegant red facade fool you鈥攖his gate has seen things. Big things. Originally built way back in 942 by military man Taira no Kinmasa鈥攚ho, legend has it, landed his dream job as Lord of Tokyo thanks to a few strategic prayers at Senso-ji鈥攖his gate was his giant 鈥渢hank you鈥� card. Unfortunately, it didn鈥檛 last forever. Fire took the original out in 1631. Luckily, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the 3rd Shogun, who said, 鈥淣o worries, I got this,鈥� had it rebuilt鈥攐nly for World War II to throw another fiery tantrum.
But like any great action hero, the H艒z艒mon returned stronger. Today鈥檚 version is steel-reinforced and fire-resistant, built to protect not just history鈥攂ut literal treasures.
Speaking of which: inside the upper floor, check out a veritable Buddhist treasure chest. We鈥檙e talking a copy of the Lotus Sutra (national treasure, mind you!), and the Issai Kyo, the ultimate Buddhist script collection, officially labeled an Important Cultural Property. Yep, capital letters and everything...
But that鈥檚 not all. Standing guard are two towering 5.5-meter-tall Nio statues鈥攂asically Buddha鈥檚 bodyguards with permanent scowls and a serious gym routine. Look up, and you鈥檒l see three huge (each weighing a ton of kilos!) lanterns, including a fire-engine red chochin lantern donated in 2003 to mark 400 years since the Edo period kicked off. Nice touch, right?
And if you鈥檙e wondering about the giant straw sandals hanging at the back? Those are the Waraji鈥攎assive, traditional footwear meant for the Nio guardians. Because even statues need to walk in style.
So there you have it鈥擧艒z艒mon: part gateway, part time capsule, all drama.
Now, don鈥檛 let the elegant red facade fool you鈥攖his gate has seen things. Big things. Originally built way back in 942 by military man Taira no Kinmasa鈥攚ho, legend has it, landed his dream job as Lord of Tokyo thanks to a few strategic prayers at Senso-ji鈥攖his gate was his giant 鈥渢hank you鈥� card. Unfortunately, it didn鈥檛 last forever. Fire took the original out in 1631. Luckily, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the 3rd Shogun, who said, 鈥淣o worries, I got this,鈥� had it rebuilt鈥攐nly for World War II to throw another fiery tantrum.
But like any great action hero, the H艒z艒mon returned stronger. Today鈥檚 version is steel-reinforced and fire-resistant, built to protect not just history鈥攂ut literal treasures.
Speaking of which: inside the upper floor, check out a veritable Buddhist treasure chest. We鈥檙e talking a copy of the Lotus Sutra (national treasure, mind you!), and the Issai Kyo, the ultimate Buddhist script collection, officially labeled an Important Cultural Property. Yep, capital letters and everything...
But that鈥檚 not all. Standing guard are two towering 5.5-meter-tall Nio statues鈥攂asically Buddha鈥檚 bodyguards with permanent scowls and a serious gym routine. Look up, and you鈥檒l see three huge (each weighing a ton of kilos!) lanterns, including a fire-engine red chochin lantern donated in 2003 to mark 400 years since the Edo period kicked off. Nice touch, right?
And if you鈥檙e wondering about the giant straw sandals hanging at the back? Those are the Waraji鈥攎assive, traditional footwear meant for the Nio guardians. Because even statues need to walk in style.
So there you have it鈥擧艒z艒mon: part gateway, part time capsule, all drama.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Tokyo. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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H艒z艒mon Gate on Map
Sight Name: H艒z艒mon Gate
Sight Location: Tokyo, Japan (See walking tours in Tokyo)
Sight Type: Religious
Sight Location: Tokyo, Japan (See walking tours in Tokyo)
Sight Type: Religious
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