- We caught the train to Kita-Kamkura which is one stop north of the town centre then spent the day walking between temples and shrines. It was rainy and we had to manage around the weather, though we were never going to see all of the sites in one day. If you have the time, Kamakura is definitely worthy of a longer stay or repeat visit. It’s only an hour by train from Tokyo.
- In 1180 Yoritomo Minamoto set up his base in Kamakura which has the sea on one side and is surrounded by heavily wooded hills. He was appointed shogun in 1192 and made Kamakura his capital. It remained so until 1333, when Kyoto again became the capital. The city then went through a long slow decline, being finally eclipsed in 1603 when the Tokugawa clan established their capital in nearby Edo / Tokyo. It was also heavily damaged in the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Much of what we see today has been lost then rebuilt over the centuries.
- First stop was Engakuji-ji Buddhist temple. It was founded in 1282 and is one of the main Rinzai Zen temples in Kamakura.
- Across the railway line, on the main road, is Tokei-ji. It’s a lovely Buddhist temple with a history as a refuge for women. It also has the most beautiful gardens. Moss and lichen cover every surface and all the shades of green were glowing in damp air.
- After an excellent lunch we visted Jochi-ji Temple, right next to Tokei-ji. It is another of the main Rinzai Zen temples in Kamakura.
- It has a beautiful entrance and we took quite a while climbing the stone steps, walking over the bridges, watching artists painting, and couples being married. The grounds are quite extensive and kept opening out into new and interesting spaces.
- We particularly liked the Buddha safety cones.
- A little further south is Kencho-ji, which is highest ranked of the five main Rinzai Zen temples in Kamakura.
- It was founded in 1253 and grew to have seven main buildings and 49 sub-temples. Most of these were destroyed in a series of fires during the 14th and 15th C. The temple precinct was restored under Zen Master Takuan Soho (1573-1645) with aid from the Tokugawa shogunate.
- A number of buildings on the site today were dismantled and moved from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Skizuoka.
- Last stop of the day was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, the main Shinto shrine in Kamakura.
- All in all we had fabulous day and can’t wait to come back to Kamakura.
