Ancient Japanese temple hall home to 1,200-year-old flame destroyed by fire

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A fire has destroyed an important, centuries-old temple hall in Japan. The hall was home to a holy flame that people believed had been burning for over 1,200 years.

Reikado Hall is a famous building located within the Daishoin Buddhist temple complex, close to the top of Mount Misen in Hiroshima Prefecture.

The temple is well-known for its “eternal flame,” which, according to tradition, was first lit over a thousand years ago by the Buddhist monk Kukai while he was training on the mountain.

On the morning of May 20th, a fire broke out at the historic building. Firefighters worked for about two hours to put it out, but unfortunately, the building and a nearby reception area were completely destroyed.

1,200 year-old-temple destroyed by fire

I was reading the news and apparently there was a huge fire in Japan. ANN News said people saw massive flames and tons of smoke coming from this old wooden building while the firefighters were trying to get it under control. It sounds pretty intense!

Honestly, the fire was just unreal. I’ve never seen wood burn like that – it was unbelievably hot! And things were actually exploding, with these huge bangs. I was really worried we’d get caught in it, it was scary!

A bus driver reported that people started to panic when they saw smoke rising from the temple and the nearby mountain.

Witnesses reported seeing gray smoke going up, which caused immediate panic as people asked what was happening. It’s particularly upsetting because the building was so beloved.

Temple officials said the fire started around 8:30 am, and emergency teams, including helicopters, were sent to help. The ropeway nearby was temporarily closed as a precaution. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and investigators are working to determine what caused the fire.

Even though the building was destroyed, the temple’s second-in-command priest confirmed the famous flame still burns. They explained that the temple maintains multiple flames separately, and safeguarding the fire is their primary goal.

The temple has begun rebuilding after the fire and is now accepting donations online through its website.

Interestingly, Reikado Hall has actually burned down before. It was destroyed by a fire in 2005, but was later reconstructed.

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2026-05-21 15:48