Offer a radish and pray for your happiness! －”Matsuchiyama Shoden Temple” with 1,400 years of history

After getting off a train at Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line or Toei Asakusa Line, let’s head to the temple “Matsuchiyama Shoden (待乳山聖天)” on a low hill which is about 10 minutes’ walk. It’s one of Sensoji Temple’s branches.

It’s said that Matsuchiyama Shoden was built in 595. Surrounded by trees reaching high in the sky, the precinct has a calm and silent atmosphere different from vibrant Asakusa. It makes us wonder how many people visited here over the long years of more than 1,400 years. What is clearly known in history is how popular it was between 1600s and 1800s. This temple had been loved by many cultural people as a scenic spot with a view of Sumida River and appears in Ukiyo-e (a genre of Japanese traditional painting) and poetry at that time.

When walking on the quaint approach, you can find the vermilion main hall.

Take a closer look at the coat of arms graved near the roof! You can see it shows a golden purse and two radishes. It expresses the benefits that you can get by praying as below: Radish meaning no illness, matchmaking, matrimonial harmony and Purse meaning prosperity. It’s drawn everywhere in the precinct, so why not find them while feeling as if you’re playing a treasure hunt game?

In addition, the worship method of offering radishes is also unique. If you buy it at a temple office and offer it, the god will cleanse your body and soul. You can take home your radish offered for a day.