Eireidō Hall

Eireidō Hall was built in 1906, but today both its name and its history are tied to World War II. When the hall was first constructed, it was named the Shōtoku Bell Hall and the bell that hung within it was called the Shōtoku Kōtaishi, or “Shōtoku Bell.” The nearly 8-meter-tall bell hung beneath a painting of a dragon on the ceiling, which loomed over the faithful and stared down with stern eyes. The painting has since faded, and in 1943, the enormous bell was donated to be melted down into bullets. Today, its scale can only be felt in the height of the ceiling, but photographs of the bell are displayed in one corner of the hall.

After World War II, the name of the hall was changed to Eireidō, or the “Hall of Heroic Spirits,” to honor the victims of wars and natural disasters. A service is held for them on the twenty-first of every month and on August 15, the anniversary of the day Emperor Hirohito (1901–1989) announced the end of Japanese involvement in the war.