The names of Asakusa: Asakusa Kannon, Sanja-sama, and Rokku
One place, three kinds of name: Asakusa Kannon, Sanja-sama, and Rokku. Each records a different relationship between the town and its temple, shrine festival, or theaters.
In this guide, Asakusa Kannon is used as a guide label connected to Sensoji's principal image, the Sacred Kannon. Sanja-sama refers to Asakusa Shrine, which enshrines the three figures connected with Sensoji's founding legend.
Asakusa Rokku, meanwhile, is the name of an entertainment district that developed from the Meiji era. Add Denpoin's garden and the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center opposite Kaminarimon, and the names make a useful map of Asakusa's layered history.
A name born from Kannon devotion
Sensoji enshrines the Sacred Kannon; this guide connects the label Asakusa Kannon to that principal image.
Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon)Sensoji / Asakusa Kannon
According to Sensoji's official origin story, the temple traces its beginning to an image of the Sacred Kannon found in the Sumida River in 628. In this article, Asakusa Kannon is used as a guide label connected to that principal image. In questions, keep the temple name Sensoji and the image Sacred Kannon distinct, then connect them to the approach from Kaminarimon to the Main Hall.
Source:Origins of Sensoji
The Sensoji origin legendSensoji engi
Sensoji's origin legend tells how the Hinokuma brothers, fishing in the Sumida River, drew up an image of Kannon and how Hajinaka Tomonari venerated it. The story matters beyond its date: a river, two fishers, and a local figure all appear in it. Those three people also provide the key to understanding Asakusa Shrine and the Sanja Festival.
Source:Origins of Sensoji
Names along the temple approach
Kaminarimon, Nakamise, Hozomon, and the main hall form the principal approach to Sensoji.
Kaminarimon (Furaijinmon)Kaminarimon / Furaijinmon
Kaminarimon is Sensoji's outer gate; its formal name is Furaijinmon, the Gate of the Wind and Thunder Deities. The name comes from the Wind and Thunder Gods enshrined on its two sides. The present gate was rebuilt in 1960. Remember its formal name and its position at the entrance rather than only its famous lantern.
Source:Kaminarimon
NakamiseNakamise
Nakamise is Sensoji's front approach, running for about 250 meters from Kaminarimon to Hozomon. One explanation traces the name to naka-mise, or middle shops. It is more than an old shopping street: it is the route of approach to the temple, where commerce and pilgrimage have long shared the same space.
Source:Nakamise
HozomonHozomon
Hozomon stands beyond Nakamise as Sensoji's mountain gate. It was once called Niomon because Nio guardian figures are enshrined there; its present name refers to the complete Buddhist scriptures stored upstairs. Distinguish it from Kaminarimon by both location and function: Hozomon is the inner gate on the way to the hall.
Source:Hozomon
NitenmonNitenmon
Nitenmon is a gate on the east side of Sensoji's precincts. Its name comes from the two guardian deities, Jikokuten and Zochoten, associated with it. It is not on the straight Kaminarimon approach. Matching its east-side location to its deity-derived name is a reliable way to separate it from the better-known gates.
Source:Nitenmon
The hall and tower that shape the precinct
The main hall is the destination of worship; the five-story pagoda is the tower beside it.
Main HallHondo
Sensoji's Main Hall is the central hall that enshrines the Sacred Kannon. The former hall was lost in the air raids on Tokyo, and the present building was reconstructed after the war. Gates mark stages of arrival, while the Main Hall is the destination of worship—an important distinction in precinct questions.
Source:Main Hall
Five-story PagodaGoju no to
Sensoji's Five-story Pagoda stands to the west of the Main Hall. The Edo-period tower was lost in the war, and the present tower was rebuilt in 1973. Its stacked vertical form and position beside the hall make it a different kind of landmark from the worship hall itself.
Source:Five-story Pagoda
FAQ
What does Asakusa Kannon mean in this article?
This article uses it as a guide label connected to Sensoji's principal image, the Sacred Kannon. Separating temple name and image makes the terminology clearer.
Does the route from Kaminarimon go straight to the Main Hall?
Nakamise runs between Kaminarimon and Hozomon, and Hozomon stands before the Main Hall. The shops are part of the temple approach's history.