Welcome to Kamakura!
PLACES OF INTEREST:
Great Buddha (Daibutsu), Hachiman Shrine, Engakuji Temple, Hasedera Temple

FESTIVALS IN KAMAJURA:
Yabusame (September 14-16), the art of Japanese archery, is celebrated at Tsurugaoka-hachimangu Reitasai in Kamakura.

Kamakura , ancient capital of Japan, is located in Kanazawa prefecture about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo at the top of the Miura Peninsula alongside the picturesque Sagami Bay. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the forth, Kamakura was a natural fortress and it was here that the head of the Genji clan, Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-1199) made his base as he refueled the ancient civil war between the Genji (Minamoto) and Heike (Taira) clans. At the age of 30, Yoritomo married Masako Hojo, the daughter of a local warlord and further consolidated his power. In 1180, the Minamoto clan defeated the Heike clan and Yoritomo became the head of Japan’s first shogunate. He established a new form of government which was divided into the ‘bakufu’ or military rule which handled the business of state, and the imperial government in which the emperor served as figurehead. In 1185, Yoritomo was conferred the title of ‘Seii-Tai-Shogun ’ by the emperor and the Kamakura period (1185-1333) was begun. This system of government lasted nearly 700 years until the feudal clan system was abolished in 1868 during the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Under Yoritomo’s rule, Kamakura became the nation’s political, diplomatic and cultural center and it was through Japan’s oldest man-made harbor, Wakae Island, that trade with China flourished. Chinese Sung and Yuan dynasty culture entered Japan; most notably was the Zen sect of Buddhism with its architecture, gardens, Buddhist sculpture and imagery. During this time more than 100 Buddhist temples were established throughout the Kamakura area including the 53 foot tall cast bronze ‘Daibutsu’ or Great Buddha.

Kamakura remained the capital of Japan until 1333 when Emperor Godaigo defeated Yoritomo’s ancestors, the ruling Hoji-clan, and moved the capital back to Kyoto. This also marked the end of the Kamakura period.

The City of Kamakura was incorporated November 3, 1939 and today has a population of more than 168,000. It is a popular destination for tourists as well as religious pilgrims who travel to its numerous temples and shrines on days of special observance. Since the Kamakura period, it has been home to many artists and artisans whose work qualifies as ‘Intangible Cultural Assets’ and numerous literary figures including Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Soseki Natsume and Yasunari Kawabata. It is one of my favorite places to buy ‘washi’ or handmade Japanese rice paper. Within Kamakura there are 9 municipal, 2 prefectural and 26 national historic sites including Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, Wakamiya Oji, Kenchoji Temple, Engakuji Temple, Minamoto Yoritomo’s grave, the ruins of Yofukuji Temple and Wakaejima – the ruins of the city’s ancient port island.



GREAT BUDDHA (Daibutsu)
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Daibutsu) is a bronze cast statue of Buddha approximately 37 feet high and weighing about 93 tons. In Japan, it is referred to as Kondo Amidai Nyourai Zou – the Great Amida Buddha sculpture. It is attributed to the either Ono Goroemon or Tanji Hisamoto, two master sculptors of the time, and was completed in 1252 A.D. It is the second largest statue of Buddha in Japan after the Great Buddha of Nara at Todai-ji Temple. In March of 2001, the Taliban destroyed two Buddhist statues dating back between the second and fifth centuries A.D. at 120 and 170 feet high respectively, making Nara’s statue of Buddha the world’s largest, and Kamakura’s the second. Kamakura’s Daibutsu has over the centuries, survived numerous earthquakes including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and most notably, a great tsunami in 1495 which washed away the wooden temple which housed the Daibutsu but the statue remained intact.




BUDDHA
Above the lotus pond,
The image of great Buddha stands,
His gaze fixed far beyond







HACHIMAN SHRINE
Located in the heart of Kamakura, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine is the city’s most famous, drawing more than one million visitors over the New Year’s holidays alone. It was first built by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063 then moved to its current location in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo upon his victory over the Minamoto clan. Yoritomo dedicated the shrine to ‘Hachiman’ – the god of war and patron god of the samurai. The shrine burned down in 1191 and was rebuilt on a nearby hillside, Tsurugaoka or hill of cranes.



ENGAKU-JI
Engaku-ji was established by Hojo Tokimune in 1282 to honor those who died in the Mongol Wars. Buildings were added to the temple complex over the centuries and in 1923 much of it was destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake. The elaborately carved Sanmon Gate of 1780 and the great temple bell (ogane) cast in 1301, were all that survived and the rest of the buildings were subsequently rebuilt. The Shariden building enshrines a tooth of Buddha and has been designated a national treasure. The temple’s teahouse, Ensokuken, was the setting for the novel, ‘A Thousand Cranes’ by Yasunari Kawabata. Engaku-ji Temple is associated with the Rikai sect of Zen Buddhism.


HASEDERA TEMPLE
Located on a hilltop with magnificent views of Sagami Bay, Hase Temple was originally established in the 8th century then rebuilt in 1459 by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa who also built Ginkakuji in Kyoto. It is known for its 30 foot tall statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, which is the largest wooden statue in Japan. Its grounds are beautifully landscaped and feature hardwoods, bamboo and hydrangea.

JapanCorner 2005