Kaminarimon Gate, the front gate of Senso-ji Temple, is known worldwide as the face of Asakusa. The gate’s official name, Furaijinmon, is written on the back side of the gate’s large hanging lantern.

Built by Taira-no-Kinmasa in 942, Kaminarimon Gate enshrined statues of Fujin, the god of wind, at the front-right and Raijin, the god of thunder, at the front-left of the gate. The gate was originally located near Komagata, but it was reconstructed in its current location sometime after the Kamakura period (1192 – 1333). This is believed to be when the gods of wind and thunder were first placed here.

The large lantern hanging in the center of the gate, displaying the word Kaminarimon, is a restoration, which was made possible by a donation from the late Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (known as Panasonic). It was purchased in August 2003 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the start of the Edo period. The lantern is 4 meters tall, 3.4 meters in circumference and weighs 670 kg.

Another commemorative project of the 400th anniversary of the start of the Edo period was the evening lighting of Hozomon Gate, Kannon Hall and Gojunoto Pagoda, which started in October 2003. This project came about through the grass-roots efforts of local residents.