Sacred 1,200-year-old flame survives after fire ravages ancient temple hall in Japan

A centuries-old temple hall in Japan, home to a sacred flame said to have burned continuously for over 1,200 years, has been devastated by fire.

The destroyed structure was Reikado Hall, a revered hall within the Daishoin Temple complex located near the peak of Mount Misen. The site is renowned for preserving the “Kiezu no Hi,” or “eternal flame,” which temple lore says was first ignited by Buddhist monk Kukai during spiritual training on the mountain more than a thousand years ago.

Japan's 'eternal flame' temple burned to the ground

The fire broke out on the morning of May 20. Emergency crews responded quickly and battled the flames for nearly two hours, but both the historic hall and a nearby reception building were ultimately reduced to ruins.

According to a Japanese broadcaster, eyewitnesses described seeing towering flames and thick clouds of smoke engulfing the wooden structure as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.

“The flames were unbelievable. I didn’t realize wood could burn like that. It was incredibly hot,” said one eyewitness. “Things were exploding too, with loud bangs. I thought it would be terrible if we got caught up in it.”

A local bus driver said people began to panic as they saw the smoke appear above the temple and the surrounding mountain.

“I saw grayish smoke rising up,” they said. “People started panicking, saying, ‘What’s going on? What’s going on?’ It’s sad because it was such a treasured building.”

Temple authorities said the fire was reported at approximately 8:30 a.m., prompting the deployment of emergency responders and helicopters to the area. Operations on the nearby ropeway were briefly halted as crews worked to contain the blaze. No injuries were recorded, and officials are continuing to investigate what caused the fire.

Although the historic structure was destroyed, the vice head priest of Daishoin Temple confirmed that the revered “eternal flame” survived the incident.

Reconstruction plans are already underway, with the temple now seeking public donations through Daishoin Temple’s official website to support restoration efforts.

In a tragic twist, this is not the first time Reikado Hall has been lost to fire. The hall was previously destroyed in a similar blaze in 2005 before being rebuilt.

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