Square at Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan, 2013
The story says that in 628, on March 18, two men fishing in the Sumida river caught in their net a statue of Bodhisattva Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. Realizing the importance of the statue, the head of their village made a shrine dedicated to Kannon in his own house, where he displayed the statue. After 7 years, the priest Shokai Shonin enshrined the statue in the newly built Kannon-do Hall, which later became the Senso-ji Temple from Asakusa. An interesting fact is that, after a revelation, he decided that the statue should be hidden from people and this rule remained in place until today.

However, 150 years later, a monk named Ennin made an identical replica of the original statue, displaying it and allowing people to worship it, a decision that contributed a lot to the development of the Senso-ji Temple.
To honour him, at the 1200 anniversary of its birth, in 1994, a dedicated hall was built at the Senso-ji Temple, the Yogodo Hall where this photos were taken.

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sociability
10
ceremonial
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uses & activities
10
religious
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access & linkages
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social
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comfort
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residential
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image
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court yard
tourist value
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with park
total
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street, shopping

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urban squares initiative by aleksandar janicijevic is licensed under a creative commons attribution-share alike 2.5 canada license.

Last time updated on Friday, October 25, 2013, 10:55 AM