Bentendo hall and belfry

Bentendo hall and belfry is rung at 6:00am!

Bentendo hall vermillion color leads east to the gate Hozomon second gate of Sensoji to the main altar in Sensoji. It houses the statue of Benten, one of the three prominent statues of Benten, is guardian deity of Buddhism.

This statue isn't usually open to the public, so if you'd like to see it, you should go there in both the day of the fair and the one day every twelve days (the day of serpent). The day meets this requirement is thirty-one times every year.

The belfry (height: 2.12 meters) called hour bell in Benten-yama stands the right of Bentendo Hall was constructed by Makino Narisada in 1692. In those days, Japan used the temporal hour system divided daytime and nighttime equally by the times at sunrise and dawn. Buddhist priest ring the belfry in six equal parts of a day to sunrise and dawn. Nowadays, it isn't correct time, but was useful to know the time in those days. The belfry is rung at 6:00 a.m. every mornig and the last day of the year even now.

In addition, the belfry was famous for Japanese poem of seventeen syllables (in 5‐7‐5 syllabic form) by Basho Masuo one of the most famous poets. The slab with a haiku cut on his poem stands near the belfry, but it's difficult for reading his poem because of damages.