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Monday, August 25, 2008

Lightening, blaze claim temple hall in Kyoto

The Japan Times reports that the Juntei-kannon-do (准胝観音堂) hall of Kyoto's Daigoji (醍醐寺) temple was destroyed by fire on the night of August 23rd. (Click here for the original article).
http://www.sanspo.com/shakai/news/080825/sha0808250550004-n1.htm

According to Daigoji's official website the Juntei-kannon hall was originally built in 866. However, like most temples in Japan, it has been destroyed and rebuilt--probably several times--and the current structure dates from 1968. Daigoji was registered in 1994 as a UNESCO World Heritage site.


The Japan times reports that:

According to the police, two monks staying near Junteido hall, where the statutes of Kannon were placed, spotted the fire at around midnight.

Because the hall is located in a mountainous area, cell phones do not work there. They had to walk down to the nearest phone to call the authorities.


It's been a crazy year in Japan for lightening. Mainichi Daily News reports that Tokyo has seen the most lightning in July in 50 years (article here).


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