Ikuta Shrine and Kitano Cho Area, Kobe

Close to Kobe Mosque in Kitano Cho area, Kobe - Japan, there is a beautiful red shrine named after Ikuta Shrine. Kitano cho itself is one of tourism area in Kobe city, Japan. From Wikipedia, it is said that Ikuta Shrine (生田神社 Ikuta-jinja) is a Shinto shrine in the Chūō Ward of Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country.

Ikuta Shrine, Kobe

According to Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan, the second oldest book of classical Japanese history), Ikuta shrine was founded by the Empress Jingū at the beginning of the 3rd century AD to enshrine the kami Wakahirume, and was used as the base for a festival welcoming warriors back from the latest attempt to invade Korea.

Kobe Mosque: The First Mosque in Japan and Its Existence

One of the first mosques (masjids) and the most phenomenal one in Japan is the Kobe Mosque or Kobe Masjid. Kobe Muslim Mosque was built in 1935, the first Mosque in Japan. Another source reveals that the Kobe mosque was built in 1928 on Nakayamate Dori, Chuo-ku. Kobe itself means the gate of God. There are two important events that have solidly stood the test of time until now: the atomic bomb by the alliance in 1945 and the Kobe earthquake in 1995. Today, the mosque, which is located in the tourist Kitano area of Kobe, is one of the landmarks of Kobe city, Japan.

The first tragedy was the atomic bomb by the Allies in August 1945. After Japan's army bombed Pearl Harbour, the alliance led by the U.S made a confrontation with Japan. The country of Japan itself is the main target of the Allied army instead of the colony of Japan in Asia, by dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Kobe, as a big city in Japan in that era, was also bombed by the alliance.  On July 24, 1945, a B-29 bomber craft dropped 4 'pumpkin bombs' on Kobe city. This makes Kobe city flat with the ground surface, except for the Kobe Mosque.

The picture below shows the condition of the Kobe mosque after the atomic bomb. When the surrounding area of the mosque was destroyed, the Kobe mosque still exists. Subhanallah. This mosque was also used by the Japanese army to seek refuge in the basement of the mosque. The mosque was also used by the evacuees after the atomic bomb.

Kobe Mosque, after the atomic bombin  1945