Sensoji Temple during the Meiji Period

-The Beginning of an Imperial Age Japan and the Fall of 

Figure 1: Ukiyo-e of an American vessel by an unknown painter in 1854. (Photo credit: https://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/black_ships_and_samurai/bss_essay03.html)

Throughout the Edo period, Japan was continuously infiltrated by the western forces to conduct trade with the rest of the world (Ohno, 2006). Although the Edo government was able to refuse such deals in the early centuries and maintain international isolation, it was finally forced to open up in 1853 when the American troops led by Commodore Perry intruded Japan with four “black ships”, as shown in Figure 1, that were equipped with powerful weaponry (Ohno, 2006). This, along with political instability in its internal government, contributed to the fall of the Tokugawa clan in 1867, where the feudal government was abolished and a new government, known as the Imperial government, was established (Ohno, 2006). The subsequent period that followed was the Meiji Restoration period where the emperor “regained control” of the government (Ohno, 2006). Even in the Meiji period, the emperor had little real power other than to act as a symbol of Japan and unite the people (Ohno, 2006). The Imperial government was, in fact, controlled by a group of “advisors” of the emperor (Ohno, 2006). Edo was then renamed as Tokyo (東京), or the capital east of Kyoto.

Following a series of rapid changes in the government policies that focused on westernisation, modernisation and militarisation, the Meiji government completely separated Buddhism and Shinto, and announced that Shinto would become the official state religion of Japan (BBC, 2009; Ohno, 2006). This significant change reduced the importance of Sensoji Temple as a prominent religious site in Tokyo, as the Buddhist deities lost their divine status and funding was cut by the Meiji government (BBC, 2009).

Figure 2: A map of Asakusa Park and its surrounding area. (Photo credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/history_1.shtml)

Its importance was further undermined by the designation of Sensoji Temple as one of the five parks of the Meiji period by Tokyo governor Ichio Okubo (大久保一翁) on January 15th, 1873, and the precinct of Sensoji Temple was renamed the Asakusa Park (浅草公園) (JIDAIYA, 2016; Star, 2013). The main hall of Senosji Temple was situated in the centre of the park and the space surrounding it was designed for public recreational and entertainment purposes (Lippit, 2002). Refer to Figure 2.

Figure 3: A postcard of Sensoji Temple in 1910. (Photo credit: http://www.oldtokyo.com/temple-of-the-goddess-of-mercy-asakusa-kannon-c-1910/)

Although the main attraction of the park was the temple, most people visited Asakusa Park for its entertainments, such as the theatres, cinemas, and pleasure quarters, which overshadowed the religious prominence of Sensoji Temple (Lippit, 2002). The relocation of the pleasure quarters, namely Yoshiwara, in the Edo period allowed Asakusa to prosper as the centre of “prostitutions”, despite the government’s strict control on the “red-light” activities surrounding the area (Lippit, 2002). Nakamise-dori remained a prominent marketplace during this period as the people who visited the park would also shop at the stalls (Lippit, 2002). As stated by Seiji M. Lippit (2002), Asakusa Park during the Meiji period was a combination of “the sacred and the profane” (p.141).

Figure 4: A postcard of the area around Sensoji Temple, when it was converted to a recreational park by the Meiji Government. (Photo credit: https://japanthis.com/tag/sensoji/)

Sensoji Temple continued to lose its shine when Japan’s first skyscraper was built in Asakusa Park in 1890, which also featured Japan’s first elevator, refer to Figure 4. The 12-story western style observation tower was known as Ryounkaku (凌雲閣) or Asakusa Junikai (浅草十二階), which literally translated to Asakusa Twelve-Story Tower. Thus, Ryounkaku became the landmark of modernity in Japan, and was the tourist attraction for many Tokyoites in the Meiji period (Star, 2013).

According to Topographies of Japanese Modernism (2002), the urbanisation and transformation of Asakusa during the Meiji period “has helped shape the modernist representation of the region as a space on the margins of society and of national culture, one that frames a phantasmal image of modernity” (p.142). Unsurprisingly, Sensoji Temple lost its former divine status in the Edo period and was underscored by the mass-market entertainment surrounding the temple, as the culture shifted more towards “play” than “prayer” (Itoda, 2015). However, its godly presence continued to attract 5000 to 10,000 worshippers daily with donations of more than ¥50 a day, which was equivalent to US $1,200 as of 2014 (Sundberg, 2016).

References:

BBC. (2009, Oct 30). Shinto history. Retrieved Nov 26, 2016, from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/history_1.shtml

Hur, N.-l. (2000). Prayer and Play in Late Tokugawa Japan: Asakusa Sensoji and Edo Society. Cambridge and London: Havard University Asia Center.

Itoda, S. (2015). Development of New Urban Theory- Asakusa Illuminates Transformation with the Passage of Time: International Asakusa Research Project. Retrieved Nov 23, 2016, from Meiji University: http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/frontline/itoda/

JIDAIYA. (2016, Nov 1). Retrieved Nov 9, 2016, from 浅草い〜とこ: http://www.asakusa-e.com/rekisi/senso_e.htm

Lippit, S. M. (2002). Topographies of Japanese Modernism. New York: Columbia University Press.

Ohno, K. (2006). The Economic Development of Japan: The Path Traveled by Japan as a Developing Country. Tokyo, Japan.

Star, M. (2013, Nov 13). What does Asakusa mean? . Retrieved Nov 9, 2016, from Japan This!: https://japanthis.com/tag/sensoji/
Sundberg, S. (2016). Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, Asakusa Kannon, c. 1910. Retrieved Nov 9, 2016, from Old Tokyo: cnavi.waseda.jp/coursenavi/index3.php