Inside Tokyo Camii windows roof Dec 2015

Tokyo Mosque, also known as Tokyo Camii (pronounced Jamii in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

), is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

with an adjoining

Turkish culture The culture of Turkey () or the Turkish culture () includes both the national culture and local cultures. Currently, Turkey has various local cultures. Things such as music, folk dance, or kebap variety may be used to identify a local area. Tur ...

center located in the Ōyama-chō district of

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

ward in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is the largest mosque in Japan. Originally built in 1938, the current building was completed in 2000. It was designed by Hilmi Şenalp, in a style inspired by

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...

History

The mosque was originally built along with an adjoining school on May 12, 1938 by Bashkir and

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

immigrants from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

who had come to Japan after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

. It was made under the direction of Abdurreshid Ibrahim, the first Imam of the mosque, and Abdülhay Kurban Ali. In 1986, the mosque had to be demolished because of severe structural damage. Under the direction and support of Turkey’s

Directorate of Religious Affairs Directorate may refer to: Contemporary *Directorates of the Scottish Government * Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union * Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence ag ...

, a new building was begun in 1998. The architect for the building was Hilmi Şenalp. The ornamentation was based on Ottoman religious architecture. Around 70 Turkish craftsmen performed the finishing details, and a considerable quantity of marble was imported from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The construction was completed in 2000 at a cost of around 1.5 billion yen. The inauguration was held on June 30, 2000.

Description

Tokyo Mosque is 734 square meters in area and has one basement floor and three above-ground floors with a total floor area of 1,477 square meters. Its main dome is 23.25 meters tall and is supported by six pillars, while the adjacent minaret is 41.48 meters tall. Each floor of the building houses a different activity for worshipers at that mosque. The first floor is a common area, the second floor is the prayer room, housing the

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

, and a

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

, elevated steps for the

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

to deliver the sermon.

Color depicted in Ottoman mosques

All throughout the interior and exterior of the Tokyo Mosque the colors white, and turquoise are heavily used. Since this mosque is modeled after Ottoman architecture the colors that are utilized are reflected throughout this structure and the use of the colors implemented are reciprocated as well. The color turquoise is a color that is regarded to be a representation of holiness, a color depicted as early as ancient Iran. The minbar and mihrab are both covered in white marble, a color that most known to represent purity in relation to God and pure light, while the gold detailing on both of the functional ornaments allows the pieces to further stand out in the mosque. This structure also heavily resembles another mosque created under the same Ottoman architecture style, the Blue Mosque. Color within these mosques are highlighted through their use of natural and artificial lighting, natural via the many windows that encompass the mosque and artificial via the low hanging chandeliers. The connection between the use of light and color to an audience is known and utilized throughout the creation of mosques, as the architects try and incorporate enough of each to create an impact on the viewer of the building.

Gallery

File:Tokyo Camii minbar.JPG, Interior looking towards the minbar File:Tokyo Camii mihrab.JPG, Interior showcasing the mihrab File:Tokyo Mosuku Innen Gebetshalle Kronleuchter 1.jpg, Arabic calligraphy shown on the

pendentive In architecture, a pendentive is a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to point ...

s. File:Tokyo Camii dome interior.JPG, Details on the Tokyo Mosque dome File:Tokyo Camii 02.JPG, Minaret located outside of the Tokyo Mosque

References

External links