TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 07: Some 10,000 crystal 'Gorinto', five-rings tower is arranged at the 'Corridor of Pray' at Fukagawa Fudodo Temple on March 7, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) 668504212

The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Imag

Fukagawa Fudō-dō

Asakusa & Sumida River

LoginSave

Belonging to the esoteric Shingon sect, at this active temple you can attend one of the city's most spectacular religious rituals. Goma (fire rituals) take place daily in an auditorium in the Hondō (Main Hall) at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm, plus 7pm on festival days (1st, 15th and 28th of each month). Sutras are chanted, giant taiko drums are pounded and flames are raised on the main altar as an offering to the deity.

At the end of the 30-minute ceremony, people line up to have their bags and other possessions passed over the dying flames as a blessing.

While here, don't miss the trippy prayer corridor with 9500 miniature Fudōmyō (a fierce-looking representation of Buddha’s determination) crystal statues. Upstairs is also a beautifully decorated gallery (open until 4pm) depicting all 88 temples of the 1400km pilgrimage route on the island of Shikoku; it is said that offering a prayer at each alcove has the same effect as visiting each temple.

Transportation

  • subway: Ōedo line to Monzen-nakachō, exit 1

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Tokyo Imperial Palace, tokyo, japan 138905807 ancient, architecture, asia, asian, attraction, bridge, building, castle, city, edo, emperor, fort, fortress, historic, historical, history, imperial, japan, japanese, king, landmark, moat, monarchy, nijubashi, old, oriental, otemachi, palace, royal, royalty, stone, tokyo, tower, travel, urban, wall

    Imperial Palace

    2.55 MILES

    The Imperial Palace occupies the site of the original Edo-jō, the Tokugawa shogunate's castle. In its heyday this was the largest fortress in the world,…

  • April 29, 2018: The Robot statue in an open garden space at the Ghibli museum.

    Ghibli Museum

    12.85 MILES

    This museum is the heart of the Studio Ghibli world, a beloved (even 'adored') film studio responsible for classic, critically-acclaimed animated titles…

  • Shinjuku, Tokyo, Kanto region, Japan. Tiny alleys crowded with night bars and clubs at Golden Gai district.

    Golden Gai

    5.39 MILES

    Golden Gai – a Shinjuku institution for over half a century – is a collection of tiny bars, often literally no bigger than a closet and seating maybe a…

  • Tokyo, Ueno, Taito-ku: Tokyo National Museum, Honkan

    Tokyo National Museum

    3.38 MILES

    If you visit only one museum in Tokyo, make it the Tokyo National Museum. Here you'll find the world's largest collection of Japanese art, including…

  • Tokyo, Japan view of Shibuya Crossing, one of the busiest crosswalks in the world. aerial, architecture, asia, asian, billboards, buildings, business, city, cityscape, commercial, cross, crosswalk, crowd, district, downtown, dusk, evening, famous, futuristic, japan, japanese, landmark, lights, location, metropolis, metropolitan, modern, morning, night, office, pedestrian, people, place, plaza, road, scene, scenery, scenic, shibuya, shopping, signs, skyline, skyscrapers, square, street, tokyo, twilight, urban, view, walk

    Shibuya Crossing

    5.5 MILES

    Rumoured to be the busiest intersection in the world (and definitely in Japan), Shibuya Crossing is like a giant beating heart, sending people in all…

  • Tokyo, Japan - May 6, 2017: Cup noodles Museum Front display in Yokohama.; Shutterstock ID 652705672; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiA: Takayama, south of Tokyo POI images for online

    Cup Noodles Museum

    17.42 MILES

    This impressively slick attraction is dedicated to, you guessed it, cup noodles. But in reality, its focus is more broad, with numerous exhibitions…

  • teamLab Borderless

    teamLab Borderless

    3.17 MILES

    Digital-art collective teamLab has created 60 artworks for this museum, open in 2018, that tests the border between art and the viewer: many are…

  • Exterior of the Sensouji Temple. 1075025648 architecture, asakusa, asia, background, blue, buddhism, buddhist, building, capital, city, copy, cultural, day, destination, famous, god, japan, japanese, landmark, landscape, morning, old, people, pray, red, religion, senso-ji, sensoji, sensouji, shinto, shrine, sky, space, temple, tokyo, tourism, tourists, travel, worship

    Sensō-ji

    2.9 MILES

    Tokyo’s most visited temple enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), which, according to legend, was miraculously pulled out of…

View more attractions

Nearby Asakusa & Sumida River attractions

1. Tomioka Hachiman-gū

0.18 MILES

Founded in 1627, this shrine is famous as the birthplace of the sumo tournament. Around the back of the main building is the yokozuna (sumo grand…

2. Kiyosumi-teien

0.58 MILES

One of Tokyo's most picturesque retreats, Kiyosumi-teien started out in 1721 as the villa of a daimyō (domain lord; regional lord under the shoguns)…

3. Fukagawa Edo Museum

0.61 MILES

During the Edo period (1603–1868), Fukagawa was a typical working-class neighbourhood, with narrow alleys and tenement homes. You can get an idea of what…

5. Tsukudako-bashi

0.85 MILES

This tiny, picturesque bridge with attractive red rails spans a tidal inlet and is a popular filming location for TV shows and movies.

6. Sumiyoshi-jinja

0.85 MILES

This small shrine is dedicated to the protection of fishermen (look for the detailed wooden carvings of them on the building's beams). It was originally…

7. Tsukuda Ohashi

0.95 MILES

Linking Tsukiji to the island of Tsukishima, this was the first bridge to be built over the Sumida-gawa after WWII.

8. Amazake Yokochō

1.14 MILES

The hub of Ningyōchō, Amazake Yokochō is a delightful shopping street lined with age-old businesses, including several good craft shops. It's named after…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "japan/tokyo/asakusa-and-around/attractions/fukagawa-fudo-do/a/poi-sig/396805/1323663",
  "destination": "Asakusa-&-Sumida-River",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Japan",
  "city": "Tokyo",
  "neighborhood": "Asakusa-&-Sumida-River",
  "position": "superzone"
}