Ancient Buddhist hall with 1,000-year-old ‘eternal flame’ burns in Japan
Video. A Buddhist hall on Japan’s Miyajima Island that housed an “eternal flame” believed to have burned for more than 1,000 years was destroyed in a fire, with aerial footage showing the building engulfed in flames.
Updated: 21/05/2026 - 21:32 GMT+2
A Buddhist hall on Japan’s Miyajima Island that housed an “eternal flame” believed to have burned for more than 1,000 years was destroyed in a fire, with aerial footage showing the building engulfed in flames.
A historic Buddhist hall on Miyajima Island burned to the ground after a fire broke out near Mount Misen in western Japan.
Aerial footage showed flames and smoke engulfing Reikado Hall before the structure was left charred and destroyed.
The hall was part of the Daishoin temple complex and was known for housing an “eternal flame” believed to have been burning for more than 1,000 years.
Japanese authorities said around 30 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze, which was later extinguished.
