Hōzōmon
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The Hōzōmon (宝蔵門 ?, "Treasure-House Gate") is the inner of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji (the outer being the Kaminarimon) in Asakusa, Tokyo. This two-story gate houses many of the Sensō-ji's treasures on its second story, while the first story houses several statues, lanterns and even giant sandals. It stands 22.7 m tall, 21 m wide, and 8 m deep.[1]
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[edit] History
The Hōzōmon was first built in 942 by Taira no Kinmasa.[2] Destroyed by fire in 1631, it was rebuilt by Iemitsu Tokugawa in 1636. It stood for three hundred more years until it was once again burned down, this time during the massive Tokyo air raids of 1945. In 1964, Motoya Yonetarou made a donation of 150 million Yen that enabled the gate to be rebuilt using steel reinforced concrete.[1]
Since the gate was reconstructed using flame resistant materials, the upper story of the Hōzōmon stores the Sensō-ji's treasured sutras. These treasures including the Lotus Sutra, which is designated a Japanese National Treasure, and the Issai-kyo, a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures that has been designated an Important Cultural Property.[3]
[edit] Features
Unlike the Kaminarimon which houses 4 different statues, the Hōzōmon only houses 2 of the same statues that are located either side of the front face of the gate. These 5.45 m tall statues represent Niō, the guardian deity of the Buddha.[2][1] Because of these statues, the gate's original name had been Niōmon (仁王門 ?, "Niō Gate") before it became the Hōzōmon.[3]
In addition to the Niō statues, the Hōzōmon also features three large lanterns. The largest and most prominent lantern is the giant red chōchin hanging under the center of the gate opening. With a height of 3.75 m, a diameter of 2.7 m and a weight of 400 kg, the lantern displays the name of the town Funamachi (小舟町?).[1] The current iteration of the lantern dates back to 2003 when 5 million Yen was donated by the people of Funamachi. Its donation commemorated the 400th year anniversary of the start of the Edo period.[1] On either side of the chōchin hangs two 2.75 m high copper tōrō weighing approximately 1000 kg each. All three lanterns are often completely removed for festivals such as Sanja Matsuri.
An often overlooked feature of the Hōzōmon are the wariji, two 4.5 m long, 1.5 m wide straw sandals that weigh 400 kg each.[4] The reason for this is because they are located on the back face of the gate.
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