Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, centered on devotion to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. Its gates, approach street, and rebuilt main hall show how religious practice and neighborhood life have grown together in Asakusa.
Guide preview
The enormous lantern at Kaminarimon marks a threshold, but the temple’s deepest story is about an image that visitors cannot see. Senso-ji is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Senso-ji’s principal image is Avalokitesvara, known in Japan as Kannon.
- The current main hall was rebuilt in 1958.
- The temple’s founding account dates the image’s appearance to 628.
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