Senso-ji Temple is the main temple of the Seikannon sects and the principle image is the statue of the Seikannon Bodhisattva. The hall that houses the main statue is therefore called the Kannon Hall.

Because the entertainment and pleasure quarters formed near the temple as a result of the Shogunate’s protection and policies, Senso-ji Temple, the oldest of Edo’s many temples, attracted large numbers of people and became the site of the largest commercial entertainment district in Edo.

Over the course of many years, however, Senso-ji suffered a great deal. It was damaged more than 10 times by earthquakes, lightning and fires, and also suffered damage during World War II.

The main hall was rebuilt by third-generation shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1649, and had been designated as a national treasure exemplifying an early-modern main temple hall until it burned down about 300 years later during World War II. It was destroyed in the Tokyo air raids of 1945.

The current hall was built in 1958 and is made of steel-reinforced concrete.
Its ceiling features “Ryu no zu,” a drawing of a dragon by Ryushi Kawabata, and “Tennin sanka no zu,” drawings of a celestial woman with a lotus bloom, by Insho Domoto.