Fire Destroys Sacred Buddhist Hall in Japan that Housed ‘Eternal Flame’

Reikado Hall, close to the summit of Mount Misen in southwestern Japan, has long stood as a sacred monument to Buddhism, housing an “eternal flame” that spiritual leaders say has been continuously lit for more than 1,200 years.

But on Wednesday, Reikado was reduced to a charred skeleton after a fire tore through the building, engulfing its wooden prayer rooms. No one was injured, the authorities said. The flame itself was salvaged and moved to a different site after the blaze, according to the Daisho-in Buddhist temple, which oversees the hall.

“We have received many messages of sympathy,” the Daisho-in temple said in a statement on its website. “Thank you for your concern.”

The temple said that it would work to rebuild the hall immediately.

It was the second time in recent decades that Reikado, near Hiroshima, has burned down. The hall had already been rebuilt after a fire in 2005, which was sparked accidentally during a post-typhoon cleanup. The authorities said they were investigating the cause of the latest fire.

Temples and shrines in Japan are vulnerable as many are made from wood and feature traditional materials like thatch and bark. There have been several such blazes recently, including at Daihoji Temple in northern Japan, where 13 buildings were damaged this month in a fire that likely started in a kitchen. In April, the Atago shrine in the port city of Niigata burned in a late-night fire, cause unknown.

Tetsuya Kotaki, a fire prevention official at the Hatsukaichi fire department, which led the response, said the authorities received a call at 8:32 a.m. on Wednesday from an official at the temple, saying Reikado Hall was on fire.

The blaze was brought under control about two hours later, he said.

“The response team had to bring hoses from the bottom of the hill,” he said. “The temple had a fire prevention water tank but the team used it up quickly.”

Reikado is situated at an altitude of roughly 1,500 feet on Miyajima, a sacred island and popular pilgrimage site.

The “eternal flame” is said to have been lit by Kukai, a celebrated monk who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism in the ninth century. Water boiled in an iron kettle over the flame is revered as having healing properties and bringing good fortune.