Beyond the branches of the trees, the five-story pagoda of Honmon-ji, built in 1608, loomed

Five-story pagoda of Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple

Unlike Kyoto, Tokyo was indiscriminately bombed by the U.S. military at the end of World War II. But Tokyo was not the only city to be bombed. With air superiority in Japan, local cities were also attacked at will by the U.S. military. When we look at photos taken immediately after the war, we are amazed at the sight of buildings destroyed beyond imagination. Since many Japanese cities were built of wood, Japanese cities must have burned interestingly for the U.S. military, which used incendiary bombs. As a result, even in Tokyo, historic wooden buildings were burned to ashes. For example, the mausoleum of the Tokugawa shoguns at Zojo-ji Temple was completely destroyed, and the main hall of Senso-ji Temple, which was destroyed in an air raid, was rebuilt after the war.

Considering this history, it is nothing but a stroke of luck that the five-story pagoda built in 1608 still stands at Honmon-ji Temple in Ikegami. One might assume that the reason it was not destroyed in an air raid is that it is located somewhat far from the center of Tokyo, but this is not the case. In fact, the main building of Honmon-ji, Soshido, was destroyed by fire in an air raid. The fact that the five-story pagoda survived the fire was merely a coincidence.

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