Greetings.
About 1300 years ago, on March 18th , in 628, two fishermen caught the Kannon statue in their fishing nets in the Sumida River in Tokyo.That was the genesis of Sensouji Temple.
The Kannon Bodhisattva image (SeikanzeOnbosatsu) became a symbol of faith to many peopls. during the early era, the temple was underdeveloped and surrounded by a meadow. However, many people started to visit the temple from far away.
The town of Asakusa has grown along with the Sensoji Temple -- especially during Edo period, when the Tokugawa shogunate designated Sensoji Temple as an authorized prayer location. For the town of Asakusa, prosperty ensued.
During the Edo period, recycling systems were well developed and there was great harmony between humans and nature. People gathered, and there were many merchants in Asakusa. Yet Asakusa was never just a religious town; it has always been a cultural central of the Japanese tradition of harmony with seasonal events and nature.
Toward the end of the 19th century, the Edo period with the Meiji restoration. The name Edo was changed to Tokyo. Even after the Meiji restoration and the end of an era, Asakusa remains a popular spot for many people. Even now, Asakusa maintains an Edo atmosphere; a tradition of hospitality endures, not only for people from all over Japan, but also for tourists from around the world.
Asakusa Enju-no-kai, the group who created and published this web-site, is an association of shops and restaurants in Asakusa, whose misshon is to ensure that our tradition of hospitality can be enjoyed by all visitors. We have been publishing a free quarterly magazine in Japanese and keep native tourists informed about general information upcoming events in Asakusa. Now, we would like to show our hospitality to overseas tourists with this web site in English. We hope this web site will help you enjoy everything Asakusa has to offer.
