Hōzō-mon

Asakusa & Sumida River


At the end of Sensō-ji's Nakamise-dōri, this gate is flanked by two fierce guardian deities. On the gate’s back side are a pair of 2500kg, 4.5m-tall waraji (straw sandals) crafted for Sensō-ji by some 800 villagers in northern Yamagata Prefecture. These are meant to symbolise the Buddha’s power, and it’s believed that evil spirits will be scared off by the giant footwear.

Transportation

  • subway: Ginza line to Asakusa, exit 1

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Asakusa & Sumida River attractions

1. Five-Storey Pagoda

0.04 MILES

On the grounds of Sensō-ji, this 53m-high, five-storey pagoda is a 1973 reconstruction of a pagoda built by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1648. The current…

2. Sensō-ji

0.06 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…

3. Niten-mon

0.07 MILES

Senso-ji's eastern gate is one of the temple complex's rare, Edo-era buildings: it's been standing since 1618. Though it appears minor today, this gate…

4. Awashima-dō

0.07 MILES

This subtemple of Sensō-ji dates to the late 17th century. The deity enshrined here is a guardian of women and the temple is the site of a curious ancient…

5. Amuse Museum

0.08 MILES

The highlight of this museum is a fascinating collection of Japanese folk articles, mainly patched clothing and pieces of fabric, known as boro, gathered…

6. Asakusa-jinja

0.1 MILES

Asakusa-jinja was built in honour of the brothers who discovered the Kannon statue that inspired the construction of Sensō-ji. Deep red in colour, the…

7. Kaminari-mon

0.19 MILES

The Sensō-ji temple precinct begins at this majestic gate, from which hangs an enormous chōchin (lantern); look under this to see a beautiful carved…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
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      "url": "japan/tokyo/asakusa-and-around/attractions/hozo-mon/a/poi-sig/1357468/1323663",
      "destination": "Asakusa-&-Sumida-River",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Japan",
      "city": "Tokyo",
      "neighborhood": "Asakusa-&-Sumida-River",
      "position": "superzone"
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