Worshippers looked up at the large sandals displayed at the Hozo-mon Gate

Worshippers look at the sandals displayed at the Hozo-mon Gate — Sensoji Hozo-mon Gate from the side

The Hozo-mon Gate, which stands between the main halll and the Kaminari-mon Gate of Senso-ji Temple, is a bit unassuming. When viewed from the front, the statues of Kongorikishi, the guardian deity of the Buddhist temple, are enshrined on both sides, and large lanterns are displayed in the center. It looks quite impressive, but most people think of Kaminari-mon when they think of the large gate at Senso-ji Temple. It's a magnificent gate, but I feel like it's a bit of a letdown.

At the Hozo-mon gate, there are two large sandals casually displayed. The sandals are displayed on the back side of the gate, probably to keep people from seeing them as they head for the main hall. These huge sandals were 4.5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and weighed 500 kilograms. It is said that the size of the sandals represents the power of Kongorikishi, the guardian of the temple grounds, and that the sandals are hung up so that demons will be surprised when they see them and leave, thinking that someone wearing such huge sandals is protecting the temple. Indeed, the only person who could wear these huge sandals would be Godzilla. However, in order to discourage demons from entering the temple grounds, it must be displayed in front of the gate. If they were displayed behind the gate, I would think that the only time demons would see and notice the large sandals would be when they went outside after enjoying the temple grounds.

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