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79-502: The shrine honors the three men who founded the neighboring Sensō-ji . Part of a larger grouping of sacred buildings in the area, Asakusa Shrine is on the east side of the Sensō-ji, down a street marked by a large stone torii . One of the only two buildings in the area to survive World War II , it is designated an Important Cultural Property due to its long history. An example of the gongen-zukuri style of architecture, Asakusa Shrine

158-461: A growing threat to the stability of the shogunate. As Ōgosho ("Cloistered Shōgun "), he influenced the implementation of laws that banned the practice of Christianity. His successors followed suit, compounding upon Ieyasu's laws. The ban of Christianity is often linked with the creation of the Seclusion laws, or Sakoku , in the 1630s. The late Tokugawa shogunate ( Japanese : 幕末 Bakumatsu )

237-455: A historic image but is stronger and lighter. The Kaminarimon gate was rebuilt in 1960, the Hōzōmon gate in 1964, and the pagoda in 1973. The Nishinomiya Inari shrine was located within the precincts of Sensō-ji and a torii identified the entry into the hallowed ground of the shrine. A bronze plaque on the gateway structure listed those who contributed to the construction of the torii, which

316-561: A result, the tax revenues collected by the samurai landowners increasingly declined over time. A 2017 study found that peasant rebellions and desertion lowered tax rates and inhibited state growth in the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, both the shogun and daimyos were hampered by financial difficulties, whereas more wealth flowed to the merchant class. Peasant uprisings and samurai discontent became increasingly prevalent. Some reforms were enacted to attend to these issues such as

395-523: A rural population flow to urban areas. By the Genroku period (1688–1704) Japan saw a period of material prosperity and the blossoming of the arts, such as the early development of ukiyo-e by Moronobu . The reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune (1716–1745) saw poor harvests and a fall in tax revenue in the early 1720s, as a result he pushed for the Kyoho reforms to repair the finances of the bakufu as he believed

474-399: A suggested donation of 100 yen, visitors may consult the oracle and divine answers to their questions. Querents shake labelled sticks from enclosed metal containers and read the corresponding answers they retrieve from one of 100 possible drawers. Within the temple is a quiet contemplative garden kept in the distinctive Japanese style . The Kaminarimon ( 雷門 , "Thunder Gate" ) is

553-518: Is a street on the approach to the temple. It is said to have come about in the early 12th century, when neighbors of Sensō-ji were granted permission to set up shops on the approach to the temple. However, in May 1885 the government of Tokyo ordered all shop owners to leave. In December of that same year the area was reconstructed in Western-style brick. During the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake many of

632-419: Is dedicated to Kannon , the bodhisattva of compassion. Structures in the temple complex include the main hall, a five-story pagoda and large gates. It is the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually. The temple was destroyed during a 10 March 1945 firebombing air raid on Tokyo during World War II. The main hall was rebuilt in the 1950s. Formerly associated with

711-696: The Edo shogunate ( 江戸幕府 , Edo bakufu ) , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara , ending the civil wars of the Sengoku period following the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate . Ieyasu became the shōgun , and the Tokugawa clan governed Japan from Edo Castle in

790-768: The Imperial Court in Kyoto to the Tokugawa family. While the Emperor officially had the prerogative of appointing the shōgun and received generous subsidies, he had virtually no say in state affairs. The shogunate issued the Laws for the Imperial and Court Officials ( kinchu narabini kuge shohatto 禁中並公家諸法度) to set out its relationship with the Imperial family and the kuge (imperial court officials), and specified that

869-489: The Kansei reform (1787–1793) by Matsudaira Sadanobu . He bolstered the bakufu's rice stockpiles and mandated daimyos to follow suit. He cut down urban spending, allocated reserves for potential famines, and urged city-dwelling peasants to return to rural areas. By 1800, Japan included five cities with over 100,000 residents, and three among the world's twenty cities that had more than 300,000 inhabitants. Edo likely claimed

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948-815: The Tendai sect of Buddhism , the temple became independent after the war. Leading to it is Nakamise-dōri street, containing many shops with traditional goods. Adjacent to the east of Sensō-ji is the Asakusa Shrine of the Shinto religion. The temple is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon ( Avalokiteśvara ). According to legend, a statue of the Kannon was found in the Sumida River in 628 AD by two fishermen, brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari. The chief of their village, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized

1027-679: The Tokyo air raids of 1945 . Because of this rich history, it was designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government in 1951. Buildings in addition to the main shrine include a kagura-den ( kagura dance hall) and the Hikan Inari Shrine. A Nishinomiya Inari shrine was once located near the Hōzōmon gate to Sensō-ji. After the Meiji government ordered the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in 1868,

1106-413: The bodhisattva Kannon ( Avalokiteśvara ) at Asakusa, which led to the founding of Sensō-ji. The statues were carved by then-106-year-old master sculptor Hirakushi Denchū . A giant red lantern ( chōchin ) hangs under the center of the gate. It is 3.9 metres (13 ft) tall, 3.3 metres (11 ft) wide and weighs approximately 700 kilograms (1,500 lb). The current lantern, the fifth iteration,

1185-479: The chōchin hangs five 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) tall copper tōrō weighing approximately 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) each. All three lanterns are completely removed during festivals such as Sanja Matsuri . On the Hōzōmon's east (back) face are the waraji , two 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide straw sandals that weigh 400 kilograms (880 lb) each. The Nakamise-dōri ( 仲見世通り )

1264-528: The gundai ( 郡代 ), the daikan ( 代官 ) and the kura bugyō ( 蔵奉行 ), as well as hearing cases involving samurai. The gundai managed Tokugawa domains with incomes greater than 10,000 koku while the daikan managed areas with incomes between 5,000 and 10,000 koku. The shogun directly held lands in various parts of Japan. These were known as shihaisho (支配所); since the Meiji period, the term tenryō ( 天領 , literally "Emperor's land") has become synonymous, because

1343-528: The han and the court in Edo. During their absences from Edo, it was also required that they leave their family as hostages until their return. The hostages and the huge expenditure sankin-kōtai imposed on each han helped to ensure loyalty to the shōgun . By the 1690s, the vast majority of daimyos would be born in Edo, and most would consider it their homes. Some daimyos had little interest in their domains and needed to be begged to return "home". In return for

1422-442: The jisha , kanjō , and machi-bugyō , which respectively oversaw temples and shrines , accounting, and the cities. The jisha-bugyō had the highest status of the three. They oversaw the administration of Buddhist temples ( ji ) and Shinto shrines ( sha ), many of which held fiefs. Also, they heard lawsuits from several land holdings outside the eight Kantō provinces. The appointments normally went to daimyōs ; Ōoka Tadasuke

1501-408: The rōjū to a more distant part of the castle. Some of the most famous soba yōnin were Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu and Tanuma Okitsugu . The ōmetsuke and metsuke were officials who reported to the rōjū and wakadoshiyori . The five ōmetsuke were in charge of monitoring the affairs of the daimyōs , kuge and imperial court. They were in charge of discovering any threat of rebellion. Early in

1580-427: The sankin-kōtai system ensured that daimyōs or their family were always in Edo, observed by the shogun. The shogunate had the power to discard, annex, and transform domains, although they were rarely and carefully exercised after the early years of the shogunate, to prevent daimyōs from banding together. The sankin-kōtai system of alternative residence required each daimyō to reside in alternate years between

1659-410: The shōgun . Under the wakadoshiyori were the metsuke . Some shōguns appointed a soba yōnin . This person acted as a liaison between the shōgun and the rōjū . The soba yōnin increased in importance during the time of the fifth shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi , when a wakadoshiyori, Inaba Masayasu , assassinated Hotta Masatoshi , the tairō . Fearing for his personal safety, Tsunayoshi moved

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1738-644: The ōmetsuke evolved into one of passing orders from the shogunate to the daimyōs , and of administering to ceremonies within Edo Castle. They also took on additional responsibilities such as supervising religious affairs and controlling firearms. The metsuke , reporting to the wakadoshiyori , oversaw the affairs of the vassals of the shōgun . They were the police force for the thousands of hatamoto and gokenin who were concentrated in Edo. Individual han had their own metsuke who similarly policed their samurai. The san- bugyō (三奉行 "three administrators") were

1817-467: The "restoration" ( 王政復古 , Ōsei fukko ) of imperial rule. Some loyal retainers of the shogun continued to fight during the Boshin war that followed but were eventually defeated in the notable Battle of Toba–Fushimi . The bakuhan system ( bakuhan taisei 幕藩体制 ) was the feudal political system in the Edo period of Japan. Baku is an abbreviation of bakufu , meaning " military government "—that is,

1896-407: The Edo period, daimyōs such as Yagyū Munefuyu held the office. Soon, however, it fell to hatamoto with rankings of 5,000 koku or more. To give them authority in their dealings with daimyōs , they were often ranked at 10,000 koku and given the title of kami (an ancient title, typically signifying the governor of a province ) such as Bizen-no-kami . As time progressed, the function of

1975-417: The Edo period. They were ranked by size, which was measured as the number of koku of rice that the domain produced each year. One koku was the amount of rice necessary to feed one adult male for one year. The minimum number for a daimyō was ten thousand koku ; the largest, apart from the shōgun , was more than a million koku . The main policies of the shogunate on the daimyos included: Although

2054-495: The Emperor should dedicate to scholarship and poetry. The shogunate also appointed a liaison, the Kyoto Shoshidai ( Shogun's Representative in Kyoto ), to deal with the Emperor, court and nobility. Towards the end of the shogunate, however, after centuries of the Emperor having very little say in state affairs and being secluded in his Kyoto palace , and in the wake of the reigning shōgun , Tokugawa Iemochi , marrying

2133-538: The Kaminarimon burned down, and in 1649 AD Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilt the gate along with several other of the major structures in the temple complex. The gate burnt to the ground in 1757 AD and again in 1865 AD. The Kaminarimon's current structure was dedicated in December 1960 AD . Ninety-five years after the last fire, Konosuke Matsushita , the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company (now Panasonic ),

2212-648: The Nishinomiya shrine became part of the Asakusa Shrine and was located near the kagura-den , where it was destroyed in the 10 March 1945 firebombing. Sens%C5%8D-ji Sensō-ji ( [sẽ̞ꜜɰ̃so̞ːʑi] , 浅草寺 , officially Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji ( 金龍山浅草寺 ) , also known as Asakusa Kannon ( 浅草観音 ) ) , is an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa , Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple, and one of its most significant. It

2291-586: The Sunpu government's cabinet was consisted of trusted vassals of Ieyasu which was not included in Hidetada's cabinet. including William Adams (samurai) and Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn , which Ieyasu entrusted with foreign affairs and diplomacy. The earliest structure of Edo Shogunate organization has Buke Shitsuyaku as the highest rank. the earliest members of this office were Ii Naomasa , Sakakibara Yasumasa , and Honda Tadakatsu . The personal vassals of

2370-520: The Thunder Gate to the temple itself, is lined with small shops selling souvenirs ranging from fans, ukiyo-e ( woodblock prints ), kimono and other robes, Buddhist scrolls, traditional sweets, to Godzilla toys, t-shirts and mobile phone straps. These shops themselves are part of a living tradition of selling to pilgrims who walked to Sensō-ji. Within the temple itself, and also at many places on its approach, there are o-mikuji stalls. For

2449-459: The Tokugawa clan in the Battle of Sekigahara had their estate reduced substantially. They were often placed in mountainous or far away areas, or placed between most trusted daimyos. Early in the Edo period, the shogunate viewed the tozama as the least likely to be loyal; over time, strategic marriages and the entrenchment of the system made the tozama less likely to rebel. In the end, however, it

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2528-414: The Tokugawa shoguns were classified into two groups: By the early 18th century, out of around 22,000 personal vassals, most would have received stipends rather than domains. The rōjū ( 老中 ) were normally the most senior members of the shogunate. Normally, four or five men held the office, and one was on duty for a month at a time on a rotating basis. They supervised the ōmetsuke (who checked on

2607-606: The capital as hostages. In 1616, there was a failed attempt of the invasion of Taiwan by a Shogunate subject named Murayama Tōan . A long period of peace occurred between the Siege of Osaka in 1615 and the Keian Uprising in 1651. This period saw the bakufu prioritise civil administration, while civil society witnessed a surge in trade and industrial activities. Trade under the reign of Ieyasu saw much new wealth created by mining and goods manufacturing, which resulted in

2686-484: The centralization, peace among the daimyos was maintained; unlike in the Sengoku period , daimyos no longer worried about conflicts with one another. In addition, hereditary succession was guaranteed as internal usurpations within domains were not recognized by the shogunate. The Tokugawa clan further ensured loyalty by maintaining a dogmatic insistence on loyalty to the shōgun . Daimyos were classified into three main categories: The tozama daimyos who fought against

2765-533: The country was still nominally organized as imperial provinces . Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization, which led to the rise of the merchant class and Ukiyo culture. The Tokugawa shogunate declined during the Bakumatsu period from 1853 and was overthrown by supporters of the Imperial Court in the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The Empire of Japan

2844-408: The country, particularly smaller regions, daimyō, and samurai were more or less identical, since daimyō might be trained as samurai, and samurai might act as local rulers. The largely inflexible nature of this social stratification system unleashed disruptive forces over time. Taxes on the peasantry were set at fixed amounts that did not account for inflation or other changes in monetary value. As

2923-531: The daimyos), machi - bugyō (commissioners of administrative and judicial functions in major cities, especially Edo), ongoku bugyō  [ ja ] (遠国奉行, the commissioners of other major cities and shogunate domains) and other officials, oversaw relations with the Imperial Court in Kyoto , kuge (members of the nobility), daimyō, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines , and attended to matters like divisions of fiefs . Other bugyō (commissioners) in charge of finances, monasteries and shrines also reported to

3002-508: The discovery and approached the brothers to whom he delivered an impassioned sermon about the Buddha. The brothers were very impressed and subsequently converted to the Buddhist religion. The Kannon statue was consecrated in a small temple by the landlord and the brothers who thereafter devoted their lives to preaching the way of Buddhism. This temple is now known as the Sensō-ji. Asakusa Shrine

3081-417: The eastern city of Edo ( Tokyo ) along with the daimyō lords of the samurai class. The Tokugawa shogunate organized Japanese society under the strict Tokugawa class system and banned most foreigners under the isolationist policies of Sakoku to promote political stability. The Tokugawa shoguns governed Japan in a feudal system, with each daimyō administering a han (feudal domain), although

3160-419: The entrance to the inner complex. Within the precincts stand a stately five-story pagoda and the main hall, devoted to Kannon. Many tourists, both Japanese and from abroad, visit Sensō-ji every year. Catering to the visiting crowds, the surrounding area has many traditional shops and eating places that feature traditional dishes (hand-made noodles, sushi, tempura, etc.). Nakamise-Dori, the street leading from

3239-434: The gate's opening. With a height of 3.75 metres (12.3 ft), a diameter of 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) and a weight of 400 kilograms (880 lb), the lantern displays the name of the town Kobunachō ( 小舟町 ) . The current iteration of the lantern dates back to 2003 when ¥2 billion was donated by the people of Kobunachō. Its donation commemorated the 10th-year-anniversary of the start of the Edo period . On either side of

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3318-501: The gate's south face. These 5.45 metres (17.9 ft) tall statues represent Niō , the guardian deities of the Buddha . Because of these statues, the gate was originally called the Niōmon ( 仁王門 , "Niō Gate" ) before it was renamed the Hōzōmon. The gate also features three large lanterns. The largest and most prominent lantern is a red chōchin that hangs under the center of

3397-606: The lantern is collapsed to let tall objects pass through the gate. The characters 金龍山 ( Kinryū-zan ) on the tablet above the lantern read from right to left and reference the Sensō-ji. The Hōzōmon ( 宝蔵門 , "Treasure-House Gate" ) is the inner of two large entrance gates that lead to the Sensō-ji. It is a two-story gate ( nijūmon ), and its second story houses many of the Sensō-ji's treasures. The first story houses two statues, three lanterns and two large sandals. It stands 22.7 metres (74 ft) tall, 21 metres (69 ft) wide, and 8 metres (26 ft) deep. The Hōzōmon

3476-583: The main vector of trade exchanges, followed by the addition of Dutch, English, and sometimes Spanish ships. From 1603 onward, Japan started to participate actively in foreign trade. In 1615, an embassy and trade mission under Hasekura Tsunenaga was sent across the Pacific to Nueva España (New Spain) on the Japanese-built galleon San Juan Bautista . Until 1635, the Shogun issued numerous permits for

3555-407: The military aristocracy was losing its power against the rich merchants and landowners. Society in the Tokugawa period , unlike in previous shogunates, was supposedly based on the strict class hierarchy originally established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . The daimyō (lords) were at the top, followed by the warrior-caste of samurai, with the farmers, artisans, and traders ranking below. In some parts of

3634-482: The most powerful han , the hereditary fief of the House of Tokugawa, which also included many gold and silver mines. Towards the end of the shogunate, the Tokugawa clan held around 7 million koku of land (天領 tenryō), including 2.6–2.7 million koku held by direct vassals, out of 30 million in the country. The other 23 million koku were held by other daimyos. The number of han (roughly 270) fluctuated throughout

3713-406: The office, and alternated by month. Three Edo machi bugyō have become famous through jidaigeki (period films): Ōoka Tadasuke and Tōyama Kagemoto (Kinshirō) as heroes, and Torii Yōzō ( ja:鳥居耀蔵 ) as a villain. The san-bugyō together sat on a council called the hyōjōsho (評定所). In this capacity, they were responsible for administering the tenryō (the shogun's estates), supervising

3792-456: The offices close to the shōgun , such as soba yōnin  [ ja ] (側用人), Kyoto Shoshidai , and Osaka jōdai . Irregularly, the shōguns appointed a rōjū to the position of tairō (great elder). The office was limited to members of the Ii , Sakai , Doi , and Hotta clans , but Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was given the status of tairō as well. Among the most famous was Ii Naosuke , who

3871-450: The outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately lead to the Sensō-ji (the inner being the Hōzōmon) in Asakusa . The gate, with its lantern and statues, is popular with tourists. It stands 11.7 metres (38 ft) tall, 11.4 metres (37 ft) wide and covers an area of 69.3 square metres (746 sq ft). The first gate was built in 941, but the current gate dates back to 1960, after

3950-423: The previous gate was destroyed in a fire in 1865. The Kaminarimon was first built in 941 AD by Taira no Kinmasa, a military commander. It was originally located near Komagata, but it was reconstructed in its current location in 1635. This is believed to be when the gods of wind and thunder were first placed on the gate. The gate has been destroyed many times throughout the ages. Four years after its relocation,

4029-532: The pro-imperialist Ishin Shishi ( nationalist patriots ) and the shogunate forces; aside from the dominant two groups, other factions attempted to use the chaos of the Bakumatsu era to seize personal power. An alliance of daimyos and the emperor, succeeded in overthrowing the shogunate, which came to an official end in 1868 with the resignation of the 15th Tokugawa shogun , Tokugawa Yoshinobu , leading to

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4108-491: The rōjū. The roju conferred on especially important matters. In the administrative reforms of 1867 ( Keiō Reforms ), the office was eliminated in favor of a bureaucratic system with ministers for the interior, finance, foreign relations, army, and navy. In principle, the requirements for appointment to the office of rōjū were to be a fudai daimyō and to have a fief assessed at 50 000 koku or more. However, there were exceptions to both criteria. Many appointees came from

4187-507: The sanctity of the statue and enshrined it by remodeling his own house into a small temple in Asakusa so that the villagers could worship Kannon. The first temple was founded in 645 AD, which makes it the oldest-established temple in Tokyo. In the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate , Tokugawa Ieyasu designated Sensō-ji as tutelary temple of the Tokugawa clan . During World War II,

4266-566: The shogun issued certain laws, such as the buke shohatto on the daimyōs and the rest of the samurai class, each han administered its autonomous system of laws and taxation . The shōgun did not interfere in a han 's governance unless major incompetence (such as large rebellions) was shown, nor were central taxes issued. Instead, each han provided feudal duties, such as maintaining roads and official courier stations, building canals and harbors, providing troops, and relieving famines. Daimyōs were strategically placed to check each other, and

4345-647: The shogun's lands were returned to the emperor. In addition to the territory that Ieyasu held prior to the Battle of Sekigahara, this included lands he gained in that battle and lands gained as a result of the Summer and Winter Sieges of Osaka . Major cities as Nagasaki and Osaka, and mines , including the Sado gold mine , also fell into this category. The gaikoku bugyō were administrators appointed between 1858 and 1868. They were charged with overseeing trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries, and were based in

4424-468: The shogunate in Edo and the daimyōs with domains throughout Japan. The shōgun and lords were all daimyōs : feudal lords with their own bureaucracies, policies, and territories. Provinces had a degree of sovereignty and were allowed an independent administration of the han in exchange for loyalty to the shōgun , who was responsible for foreign relations, national security, coinage, weights, measures, and transportation. The shōgun also administered

4503-576: The shogunate, yielding a huge profit. Foreign trade was also permitted to the Satsuma and the Tsushima domains . Rice was the main trading product of Japan during this time. Isolationism was the foreign policy of Japan and trade was strictly controlled. Merchants were outsiders to the social hierarchy of Japan and were thought to be greedy. The visits of the Nanban ships from Portugal were at first

4582-467: The shogunate. The han were the domains headed by daimyō . Beginning from Ieyasu's appointment as shogun in 1603, but especially after the Tokugawa victory in Osaka in 1615, various policies were implemented to assert the shogunate's control, which severely curtailed the daimyos' independence. The number of daimyos varied but stabilized at around 270. The bakuhan system split feudal power between

4661-467: The shops were destroyed, then rebuilt in 1925 using concrete, only to be destroyed again during the bombings of World War II. The street is approximately 250 metres (820 ft) long and contains around 72 shops. Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate ( / ˌ t ɒ k uː ˈ ɡ ɑː w ə / TOK -oo- GAH -wə ; Japanese : 徳川幕府 , romanized :  Tokugawa bakufu , IPA: [tokɯgawa, tokɯŋawa baꜜkɯ̥ɸɯ] ), also known as

4740-496: The sister of Emperor Kōmei (r. 1846–1867), in 1862, the Imperial Court in Kyoto began to enjoy increased political influence. The Emperor would occasionally be consulted on various policies and the shogun even made a visit to Kyoto to visit the Emperor. Government administration would be formally returned from the shogun to the Emperor during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Foreign affairs and trade were monopolized by

4819-677: The so-called " red seal ships " destined for the Asian trade. After 1635 and the introduction of seclusion laws ( sakoku ), inbound ships were only allowed from China , Korea , and the Netherlands . The primary source of the shogunate's income was the tax (around 40%) levied on harvests in the Tokugawa clan's personal domains (tenryō). No taxes were levied on domains of daimyos, who instead provided military duty, public works and corvee . The shogunate obtained loans from merchants, which were sometimes seen as forced donations, although commerce

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4898-491: The surrounding streets closed to traffic from dawn until late evening. Dominating the entrance to the temple is the Kaminarimon or "Thunder Gate". This imposing Buddhist structure features a massive paper lantern dramatically painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning. Beyond the Kaminarimon is Nakamise-dori with its shops, followed by the Hōzōmon or "Treasure House Gate", which provides

4977-420: The temple was destroyed during the 10 March 1945 firebombing air raid on Tokyo . The main hall was rebuilt in 1951–58 and has been perceived as a symbol of rebirth and peace by Japanese people. In the courtyard there is a tree that was hit by a bomb in the air raids, and it had regrown in the husk of the old tree and is a similar symbol as the temple itself. The temple now has a titanium tiled roof that maintains

5056-558: The title of the world's most populous city, housing over one million people. Followers of Catholic christians first began appearing in Japan during the 16th century. Oda Nobunaga embraced Christianity and the Western technology that was imported with it, such as the musket. He also saw it as a tool he could use to suppress Buddhist forces. Though Christianity was allowed to grow until the 1610s, Tokugawa Ieyasu soon began to see it as

5135-554: The upper story of the Hōzōmon stores the Sensō-ji's treasured sutras . These treasures include a copy of the Lotus Sutra that is designated a Japanese National Treasure and the Issai-kyō , a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures that has been designated an Important Cultural Property . Unlike the Kaminarimon, which houses four different statues, the Hōzōmon houses two guardian statues that are located on either side of

5214-462: The west side. The original sculptures were severely damaged in the fire of 1865, with only the heads being saved, and the statues restored for the gate's 1960 reconstruction. Two additional statues stand on the reverse of the gate: the Buddhist god Tenryū on the east, and the goddess Kinryū on the west side. These were donated in 1978 to commemorate the 1350th anniversary of the first appearance of

5293-494: Was an exception, though he later became a daimyō . The kanjō-bugyō were next in status. The four holders of this office reported to the rōjū . They were responsible for the finances of the shogunate. The machi-bugyō were the chief city administrators of Edo and other cities. Their roles included mayor, chief of the police (and, later, also of the fire department), and judge in criminal and civil matters not involving samurai. Two (briefly, three) men, normally hatamoto, held

5372-402: Was asked to rebuild the gate. With monetary donations from Matsushita, it was rebuilt in 1960. Four statues are housed in the Kaminarimon, two in the front alcoves and two on the other side. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on

5451-484: Was assassinated in 1860 outside the Sakuradamon Gate of Edo Castle ( Sakuradamon incident ). Three to five men titled the wakadoshiyori (若年寄) were next in status below the rōjū. An outgrowth of the early six-man rokuninshū (六人衆, 1633–1649), the office took its name and final form in 1662. Their primary responsibility was management of the affairs of the hatamoto and gokenin , the direct vassals of

5530-454: Was built by Takahashi Chōchin K.K in 2013 and has the same metallic base on the bottom as the previous lantern. The base has a name plate that says "Matsushita Denki", an abbreviated form of Panasonic's old Japanese name, Matsushita Denki Sangyo Kabushiki Gaisha. The front of the lantern displays the gate's name, Kaminarimon ( 雷門 ) . Painted on the back is the gate's official name, Fūraijinmon ( 風雷神門 ) . During festivals such as Sanja Matsuri ,

5609-460: Was built in order to worship these men as deities. The shrine and its surrounding area and buildings have also been the site of many Shinto and Buddhist festivals for centuries. The most important and famous of these festivals is Sanja Matsuri , held in late May. Unlike many other structures in the area, including the Sensō-ji, the shrine (along with the nearby Nitenmon gate to the Sensō-ji) survived

5688-447: Was commissioned by Tokugawa Iemitsu and built in 1649 during Japan's Edo period . It was constructed to honor the three men who established and built the Sensō-ji. Legend states that two brothers, fishermen named Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari, found a bosatsu Kannon statuette caught in a fishing-net in the Sumida River on May 17, 628. The third man, a wealthy landlord named Haji no Matsuchi (Haji no Nakatomo), heard about

5767-408: Was committed to retaining the daimyos and the han (domains) as components under his new shogunate. Daimyos who sided with Ieyasu were rewarded, and some of Ieyasu's former vassals were made daimyos and were located strategically throughout the country. The sankin-kotai policy, in an effort to constrain rebellions by the daimyos, mandated the housing of wives and children of the daimyos in

5846-459: Was erected in 1727 ( Kyōhō 12, 11th month ). After the Meiji government ordered the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in 1868, the Inari shrine was moved to the grounds of the Asakusa Shrine , where it was destroyed in the 10 March 1945 firebombing. Sensō-ji is the focus of Tokyo's largest and most popular festival , Sanja Matsuri . This takes place over 3 to 4 days in late spring, and sees

5925-819: Was established under the Meiji government , and Tokugawa loyalists continued to fight in the Boshin War until the defeat of the Republic of Ezo at the Battle of Hakodate in June 1869. Following the Sengoku period ("Warring States period"), the central government had been largely re-established by Oda Nobunaga during the Azuchi–Momoyama period . After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, central authority fell to Tokugawa Ieyasu. While many daimyos who fought against him were extinguished or had their holdings reduced, Ieyasu

6004-426: Was first built in 942 AD by Taira no Kinmasa. Destroyed by fire in 1631, it was rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1636. It stood for 300 more years until it was once again burned down during the Tokyo air raids of 1945 . In 1964, the present steel-reinforced concrete structure was built with a donation of ¥ 150 million from Yonetarō Motoya. Since the gate was reconstructed using flame-resistant materials,

6083-538: Was often not taxed. Special levies were also imposed for infrastructure-building. During the earliest years of the Tokugawa shogunate institution, when Tokugawa Hidetada coronated as the second shogun and Ieyasu retired, they formed a dual governments, where Hidetada controlled the official court with the government central located in Edo city, Ieyasu, who now became the Ōgosho (retired shogun), also control his own informal shadow government which called "Sunpu government" with its center at Sunpu Castle . The membership of

6162-468: Was still the great tozama of Satsuma , Chōshū and Tosa , and to a lesser extent Saga , that brought down the shogunate. These four states are called the Four Western Clans, or Satchotohi for short. Regardless of the political title of the Emperor, the shōguns of the Tokugawa family controlled Japan. The shogunate secured a nominal grant of administration ( 体制 , taisei ) by

6241-481: Was the period between 1853 and 1867, during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy called sakoku and modernized from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government . The 1850s saw growing resentment by the tozama daimyōs and anti-Western sentiment following the arrival of a U.S. Navy fleet under the command of Matthew C. Perry (which led to the forced opening of Japan). The major ideological and political factions during this period were divided into

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