Overview
- Reikado Hall at Daisho-in on Mount Misen was gutted by a fire that began the morning of Wednesday, May 20, and left the wooden structure a charred shell despite crews bringing the blaze under control about two hours later.
- Temple officials confirmed the shrine’s famed 'eternal flame' was salvaged, moved to a secure location and continues to burn, preserving its religious role and its link to Hiroshima’s Flame of Peace.
- Police and fire investigators are probing the origin of the blaze, and local reports say authorities are examining whether the eternal flame or related ritual equipment may have started the fire; that finding remains under investigation.
- Firefighters faced steep access and water-supply problems on the 460-meter slope, carrying hoses uphill after the temple’s prevention tank was exhausted and using helicopter support to fight the fire.
- Daisho-in has said it will rebuild Reikado Hall and is accepting donations, a response framed by the hall’s history of previous fire damage and by a string of temple and shrine fires across Japan this year that highlight broader preservation challenges.