Sensoji Temple during the Edo Period

-The Era of Samurai and Commoner

In 1603, shogunate Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川家康), who previously was a daimyo (大名, refer to definition 1), reunified Japan by ending the extended period of war known as the Sengoku Jidai (戦国時代), or the Warring Age (Ohno, 2006). He took control of Edo (in what is now called Tokyo) and established a feudal government, based on a han (藩) system, that acted as the centre of political power of the finally peaceful Japan (Ohno, 2006). This created internal stability in the country for more than two centuries (until 1854), and under international isolation during this period, Japan was able to develop a self-sustainable economy and cultivate a unique culture that later allow Tokyo to become both the political and entertainment hub of Japan (Ohno, 2006).

Under the reign of Ieyasu, Sensoji Temple, along with Zojoji Temple (増上寺) and other temples, were designated as the prayer halls of the shogunate, where the prayers for the aspirations of the shogunate would be offered (Hur, 2000; Senso-ji, 2016). This decision was suggested by the Ieyasu’s advisors headed by Tenkai (1536-1643), who was a Tendai monk and a feng-shui (風水) expert at the time, to act as a shield of protection against the external forces that would affect the political power of Ieyase (Hur, 2000; McKellin & Tanaka, 2014). 

According to Prayer and Play in Late Tokugawa Japan: Asakusa Sensoji and the Edo Society, the two temples: Sensoji Temple and Zojoji Temple were selected to help enhance the military power through “divine protection” (p.2). Sensoji Temple, located in the northeast of the Edo Castle (江戸城), also known as the Chiyoda Castle (千代田城), was established “to ensure the prosperity of his family” (p.1), while Zojoji Temple, situated in the southwest of the Edo Castle, was selected to honour the Tokugawa “ancestral deities” (p.1) (Hur, 2000). Thus, Sensoji Temple, as well as Zojoji Temple, became the main temples of the Tokugawa clan (Hur, 2000). Figure 1 shows the location of Sensoji Temple relative to the Edo Castle. 

Figure 1: A map of Edo drawn in 1863. Sensoji Temple is located on the right of the map just above the Sumida River, which is circled in red. Zojoji Temple is located to the left of the Edo Castle, near the furthest river on the left that runs vertically to the ocean.
(Photo credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1rityk/1863_map_of_edo_tokyo_2059x2065/)

This particular selection of temples, as well as the establishment of the Edo Castle, were heavily influenced by the practice of feng-shui and religion, particularly Buddhism, in the Edo period (McKellin & Tanaka, 2014). According to Tenkai, Nihonbashi (日本橋) has the strongest feng-shui energy (McKellin & Tanaka, 2014). Thus, this determined the location of the Edo Castle, which was to be built at the centre of this energy (McKellin & Tanaka, 2014). Further, Sensoji Temple, along with the other temples of Tokugawa clan, were deemed important in this sense, as they framed and protected the Edo city from evil spirits from all directions, where Sensoji Temple, located in Shitamachi (下町) or downtown region near the Sumida River, guarded the city from up north (Altarelli & Beniada, 2013). According to the practice of feng-shui, the north-east direction was probably deemed unlucky for the Tokugawa family. Thus, the convenient location of Sensoji Temple relative to the Edo Castle ensured that the shogun and the city would be rid of bad luck. 

At the time of designation, Sensoji Temple was given 500 goku of land (approximately worth 2,500 bushels of rice) in exchange (JIDAIYA, 2016). This was a lucrative offering which help established Sensoji Temple’s importance in the Edo period. Consequently, there was an increased number of worshippers and visitors who travelled to Sensoji Temple in the early Edo period, which brought commercial activities to the surrounding area (Itoda, 2015). 

Figure 2: A map of Sensoji and its surrounding area in the Edo period.

(Photo credit: http://www.ndl.go.jp/landmarks/e/edo/imado-minowa-asakusa-ezu.html)

The increased importance of Sensoji Temple in the Edo period, along with its proximity to the Sumida River and other canals, quickly transformed Sensoji Temple from a rural fishing village into a commercial district with one of the major distribution centres in Edo, and later, into an entertainment district, where the citizens in this location became mostly commoners, in particular the merchants and the artisans (Itoda, 2015; Star, 2013). 

Initially, Sensoji Temple was a popular gathering place for Burakumin (部落民) or the “outcaste” groups of Edo due to its location in the outskirts of Edo (Lippit, 2002). As the population of the Burakumin grew, the feudal government appointed a “outcaste” leader, or Danzaemon (弾左衛門), to organise and control these groups (Lippit, 2002). This population growth accelerated the prosperity of the life around Sensoji Temple. As stated by Saida Masanori (July, 1975), “The history of Asakusa is not located in the bustle of Sensoji. Asakusa was established by people oppressed by caste discrimination” (translated by Lippit, 2002, p. 140). 

In the late 17th century to early 18th century, a “high street”, now known as Nakamise-dori (仲見世通り), was formed between Kaminarimon gate (雷門) and the main hall, where the temple would give permission to the local businessmen to trade on the sacred land (Saionji, 2014). Merchants would sell goods to worshippers and visitors, and offer positive phrases, such as “Luck to the buyer” (p.225), as a way to lure customers (Saikaku, 1963). On the other hand, artisans would perform and entertain visitors with various acts, including kabuki, plays, doll theatres, comedy and freak shows (Masaki-Knighton, 2015). Thus, the area surrounding Sensoji Temple became known as a temple town, or Monzen-machi (門前町), with Sensoji Temple as the centre of the lives of many citizens (Hur, 2000). 


There was also an increase in street performances in Nakamise-dori. Thus, an area just outside Hozomon Gate (宝蔵門), on the right side of the street, was designated as the performance lane to attract more visitors as time passed (Star, 2013). Asakusa, the district of which Sensoji Temple was (and still is) located in, was thus, dubbed the entertainment centre of the Edo period (Masaki-Knighton, 2015). Consequently, Sensoji Temple developed a unique culture of “prayer and play”, where visitors would "pray" at Sensoji Temple and visit the surrounding areas for entertainment (Hur, 2000).

The glory of Sensoji Temple and the Asakusa area as one of the major commercial, social and entertainment districts was often the inspirations of many artisans at the time, as can be seen in many of ukiyo-e (浮世絵), or wood block paintings below.  

Figure 3: Ukiyo-e of Kinryuzan Temple from Utagawa Hiroshige’s (歌川広重) series of “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” (名所江戸百景) in 1856. (Photo credit: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/JP2519/)

Figure 4: Ukiyo-e of Kinryuzan Sensoji Temple (江戸名所尽：金龍山浅草寺) by Utagawa Kunitaka (歌川国孝) in 1857. (Photo credit: http://digitalmuseum.rekibun.or.jp/app/collection/detail?id=0196201749&sr=%90%F3%91%90%8E%9B)

Figure 5: Ukiyo-e of Kaminarimon gate (江戸名所尽：金龍山浅草寺) by Keisai Eisen (渓斎英泉) in the late Edo Period. (Photo credit: http://digitalmuseum.rekibun.or.jp/app/collection/detail?id=0191222047&sr=%90%F3%91%90%8E%9B&y2=%8D%5D%8C%CB)

Unlike the centre of Edo, in which the lands were divided in blocks to resemble the castle town of Kyoto, the temple town was less structured in comparison (Altarelli & Beniada, 2013). As shown in Figure 1, the lands surrounding Sensoji Temple were less block-like and unevenly distributed, as the urbanisation around the temple was not intentionally planned by the Edo government, but rather, it was naturally formed as a result of increased population (Hur, 2000). However, in areas near the Sumida River where trades were conducted, deliberate urban planning was evident so that the organised urban space could assist the Edo government’s control of trades and commoner activities in the temple town (Jinnai, 1995). 

The temple town peaked its popularity when the pleasure quarter known as Yoshiwara was relocated from Nihonbashi to the south of Asakusa after the Meireki Fire in 1657, which burnt most of Edo to the ground (Star, 2013). This further expanded the urbanisation of the areas near Sensoji Temple, as more commoners began to move away from the city centre afterwards for future fire preventions (Tokyo Metropolitan Library, 2011). 

Towards the end of the Edo period, Sensoji Temple was clearly an important area for both commercial and social activities, as shown in Figure 4 and 5. Nakamise-dori was a crowded marketplace for the commoners.  On the contrary, Nakamise-dori in Figure 3 seems very deserted in comparison, which was a very different depiction of Sensoji Temple compared to the other ukiyo-e during the Edo period. This may be the reason why Hiroshige Utagawa (歌川広重) chose this specific time of the year to paint Sensoji Temple in order to highlight its beauty and sacredness. 

Like most buildings in the Edo period, Sensoji Temple was vulnerable to fire due its wooden structure. Although it managed to escape many of the fires in the past, it did not survive the fire in 1649 (Hawkins, 2016). Sensoji Temple was brutally burnt to the ground, but was quickly rebuilt by Iemitsu Tokugawa (徳川家光), the third shogunate and grandson of Ieyasu (Hawkins, 2016). The reconstruction involved a grander main hall that is 6-km from its original location, a five-storied pagoda, and two gates: Niomon gate (now known as Hozomon gate) and Kaminarimon gate (JIDAIYA, 2016). 

Maybe as a result of the protection by Bodhisattva Kannon, or simply based on pure luck, or more plausibly, as a result of the geographic location of the temple, Sensoji Temple managed to survive the three greatest fires in Edo: Meireki Fire in 1657, Gyoninzka Fire in 1772, and Hinoetora Fire, also known as the Bunka fire in 1806 (Hur, 2000; Greve, 2016). According to Prayer and Play in Late Tokugawa Japan: Asakusa Sensoji and the Edo Society, all these three fires were ceased by a sudden pour of rain before they even reached the main hall. Although in Figure 6, the Great Meireki Fire had reached the Asakusa gate and people were jumping into the river to escape the fire, there was no pictorial evidence that the fire actually reached Sensoji Temple. Thus, Sensoji Temple remained untouched for decades until the firebombing in World War II, which will be discussed in Sensoji Temple during WWII. 

Figure 6: A sketch from the Kanazoshi (仮名草子) recording of the Great Meireki Fire by Asai Ryoi (浅井了意) that was republished in 1772.
(Photo credit: https://www.library.metro.tokyo.jp/Portals/0/edo/tokyo_library/english/machi/page2-1.html) 

Definition 1: Daimyo were feudal lords who were subordinate only to the shogun. They were the most powerful rulers in Feudal Japan, other than the shogun, with large landholdings in a particular place (domain).

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