Tsukiji Hongwaji
A grand, one-of-a-kind Gothic-style Buddhist temple with Indian influences.
When it was originally founded in 1617, the Tokyo branch of Kyoto’s Nishi-Hongwanji Temple stood in today’s Higashi-Nihombashi district, until it burned down in the Great Fire of Meireki (1657). It was then set to be reconstructed in another location, closer to the sea. The Tsukiji area, famous today for its former fish market, was built for this purpose; the name literally means “reclaimed land.”
The second Hongwanji, built in 1679, again burned down in the wake of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. Designed by pioneer architect Itō Chūta, the new temple was completed in 1934 and stands proud to this day, a unique Buddhist complex like no other.
Inspired by ancient Indian architecture, the current Tsukiji-Hongwanji temple is built in reinforced concrete and marble, with a Gothic cathedral-like exterior and elegant parapets. Inside is a narthex with stained-glass windows and Moorish-style arches, as well as modern facilities and a café, giving off an eclectic and syncretic feel, yet grounded by Buddhist themes throughout.
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