Tokyo mosque

I was a little surprised to find a mosque in metropolitan Tokyo, although Tokyo is always a city of many surprises. It has been there for about 80 years, and is in fact the site of the local Turkish Culture Center, providing both a place for religious worship as well as meeting for local people with interests or roots in Turkish culture. The mosque is located near Shibuya, and I was able to walk to it from Yoyogi Park (in about half an hour). Like most mosques and churches I have visited, they are happy to have respectful visitors when services are not being conducted.

As a regular visitor to churches, temples, shrines and mosques in many countries, I am always struck by their differences. My interest in mosques has generally been in the beautiful mathematical patterns they include, which arise from Muslim prohibition on the representation of people. The pictures shown in this blog give some examples of this.

I always wonder how the builders and craftspeople create things like this beautiful interior, filled with geometric constructions.

There’s lots of care and attention given to the calligraphy as well, of course.

In this mosque, as with others, there are attractive patterns outside as well as inside, and also many examples of lovely geometric designs on doors, screens, etc. The domes and arches outside are a precursor to the tombs and arches inside. The screen below has a ten-pointed star. I’m pretty sure that I was not taught how to construct something like that in school, using a ruler and compasses. Things used to be in multiples of six. And the elaborate work on the door has ten-pointed stars, pentagons and other shapes, all made with care by a craftsperson with mathematical expertise.

Here are some other shots of the interior of the mosque, which looks beautiful . The dome in particular, is a spectacular object.

The cultural center attached to the mosque also has some lovely mathematical patterns and designs, also beautiful examples of Islamic art, many of them in ceramics. I am intrigued by the geometry in the large dish that provides both nine-pointed stars on the outside and a twelve-pointed star in the middle, as well as small five-pointed stars between these. Very clever. I am reminded that, when Europe was in the ‘Dark Ages’, the science and geometry and mathematics of the ancient world was preserved and enhanced by the world of Islam, although this is often forgotten in our school curricula.

Although the principal purpose of the mosque is to support the Turkish community in Tokyo, and provide them with an opportunity to pray together, the mosque seems to welcome visitors as well, both from elsewhere in Japan or indeed from abroad (like me). If you happen to be in Tokyo, it’s worth a visit. Details are on the website.

Author: barrykissane

I am a (mostly) retired Australian mathematics teacher, father, traveller. View all posts by barrykissane