Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is Kamakura’s most important shrine. It was founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063 and enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo. He was the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family, and of samurai in general. The deified spirit of ancient Emperor Ojin who has been identified with Hachiman, Empress Jingu, and Emperor Chuai are enshrined in the main building of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Yoritomo overwhelmingly defeated the rival clan of Taira in 1180 to become the military ruler of Japan. Subsequently, he set up his hometown in Kamakura. The first thing he did after his victory was to build a grand shrine of Hachiman, the tutelary deity of the Minamoto clan. He would revere it as the God of War, to demonstrate his supremacy as a new leader.

There was, and still exists, a small shrine established by his ancestor near the Kamakura beach. As a replacement for this old shrine, he constructed a new one at the present site in 1180. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire in 1191. He immediately began reconstruction of the new shrine and this is the origin of the present-day Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine.

Separation of Shinto and Buddhism

Before the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the shrine was a large complex of religious structures that mixed elements of Shinto and Buddhism. This was under the concept that Shinto deities were a manifestation of Buddhist divinities. Most important was the identification of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu with Buddha Mahavairocana, harmonizing the teachings of both religions. In other words, it was a syncretized mixture of Shinto and Buddhism (of the Shingon sect in particular). And therefore, the shrine had been called the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.

In its golden days, the shrine had as many as 33 structures including those for Buddhists. If anything, Buddhists had more power than Shintoists, as the shrine was for the most part managed by Buddhist monks.

The new government after the Meiji Restoration, however, ordered to clearly segregate Buddhism from Shinto. Making the latter the state religion, Buddhism suffered heavily during this purge. As a result, many valuable structures and statues of this shrine that were associated with Buddhism were burned down, destroyed, sold cheap overseas, or thrown away. Some were fortunately moved to other Buddhist temples. The Deva King Gate, for example, was relocated to the Jufukuji.

From the Meiji Restoration up until the end of WW2, the shrine had been run by an agency of the national government. After the war, it became an independent religious institution. With its historic background, the Shrine is one of the three largest Hachimangu shrines in Japan following the Usa Hachimangu in Oita Prefecture, and Iwa Shimizu Hachimangu in Kyoto, drawing roughly 10 million visitors every year. On New Year’s Day, two million people visit this shrine in just three days.

Other Sights in Kamakura

The most famous and revered sight in Kamakura is the Great Buddha who meditates calmly under the sky, framed by trees and groups of camera-clicking tourists. He has survived fires, floods, tidal waves, typhoons, and even the great earthquake of 1923. But still, he sits casting his serene gaze over the surrounding hills, a figure of salvation.

Another sight nearby that you can’t miss is the Hasedera, one of Japan’s most beautifully located temples. Some of the temple’s best features are its gardens that have something blooming in every season. The cave and zen garden are also nice places to visit for good pictures.

If you’re short on time, you should still not forget to stop by the bamboo temple or Hokokuji. While its history is violent, the zen garden and bamboo forest have a very calming effect. You can drink a cup of matcha green tea in the middle of the bamboo forest. It is especially a good idea to visit during the weekdays and low season, as the temple will be an oasis of calm.

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As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations like Kamakura. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country. Japan is full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

How to Get to Kamakura

By JR – Japan railway – to Kamakura

The JR Yokosuka Line takes less than one hour and costs 890 yen from Tokyo station to Kamakura. It also stops at Kitakamakura Station.

From Shinjuku, direct trains on the JR Shonan- Shinjuku Line require about one hour and cost 890 yen to Kamakura. Only trains bound for Zushi, which is roughly every second train on the Shonan Shinjuku Line, provide a direct connection to Kamakura. Otherwise, a transfer of trains is required at Ofuna Station. JR offers the Kamakura Enoshima Free ticket, which includes the round trip from Tokyo to Kamakura and unlimited travel of local transport in the Kamakura area for 1970 yen.

By Odakyu

The cheapest way of visiting Kamakura is by Odakyu’s Enoshima Kamakura free pass, which includes the round trip from Shinjuku to Kamakura and unlimited usage of the Enoden train for only 1430 yen. Note, however, that the journey to Kamakura, using this pass, takes at least 90 minutes, compared to about 60 minutes by JR.

Kamakura Area Map

Family Ponds at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Once you step beyond the torii gate, you are already in the shrine. You have to then cross one of the flat bridges, and you will find a pond on both sides. They were made by the Minamoto family, and are together called the Genpei pond. ‘Gen’ stands for the Minamoto family and ‘Pei’ stands for the Taira family. Meaning, the right-hand pond, obviously larger than the other, is for the Minamotos, and the left-hand one is for the Tairas.

The Taira family was the arch-enemy of the Minamoto family. In summer, immense expanses of lotus leaves cover all of the ponds. The right-hand pond used to have white (the Minamoto clan’s symbolic color) flowers. Whereas the left-side pond had blood-red ones (the Taira clan’s symbolic color). Today, each pond has both red and white flowers.

Also, the Minamoto pond is dotted with three islets, and the Taira pond with four. ‘Three’ is pronounced ‘san’ in Japanese which also denotes birth or creating.  ‘Four’, on the other hand, is pronounced as ‘shi’, a homonym for death. The Minamoto’s hereby wished for creativity for the Minamotos and death for the Tairas. These ponds are good evidence to remind us that the two-warlord clans waged fierce battles more than 800 years ago.

Dance stage

Walk straight ahead for about 200 meters or so and there is a red-colored, square, roofed 1.5-meter-high stage in the center of the courtyard. This is the Ritual Dance Stage to commemorate Lady Shizuka, a sweetheart of Yoshitsune Minamoto (1159-1189). He was Yoritomo’s half-brother. She had to unwillingly perform a historic dance in the Shrine in 1186 to entertain Yoritomo as well as his family.

Back at the time, Yoshitsune’s behavior angered Yoritomo to the point that Yoritomo ordered to kill Yoshitsune. While Yoshitsune was fleeing, Lady Shizuka was unfortunately caught and brought to Kamakura. She had grown up in Kyoto, beautiful and elegant with lots of refined Kyoto culture in her. She was also known as an excellent dancer. Yoritomo tried repeatedly to make her dance but she always turned him down.

Persuaded by Masako, Yoritomo’s wife, she finally and reluctantly accepted to dance in front of Yoritomo. On the dancing stage, she sang a song expressing her deep feeling of love. The song was directed toward estranged and fugitive Yoshitsune, which infuriated Yoritomo badly.

The Gingko Tree

Behind the Dance Stage are 61-stone-steps. On the left-hand side, there was a huge ginkgo tree of more than 1000 years old and 30.5 meters high with a root-diameter of approx. 15 meters. However, the great ginkgo tree was knocked down by the strong winds on March 10, 2010.

After the research was done by specialists, the diagnosis was that there might be a slight possibility for the old tree to be revived. So, the root is still in the ground and a broken branch was cut to a certain length and replanted nearby place. As they are now watered with special care, young buds were seen from both the original root and the replanted branch in Spring 2011.

Family Assassination

The location of the ginkgo tree happens to be exactly the place where Sanetomo Minamoto (1192-1219), the Third Shogun and the second son of Yoritomo, was murdered. In 1219 his nephew Kugyo Minamoto (1200-1219), then the chief of the Shrine, hid behind the tree and attacked Sanetomo with a sword when Sanetomo was about to enter the Main Hall. He was going to attend a ceremony for his receiving one of the highest official titles conferred by the Imperial Court in Kyoto.

Why on earth did Kugyo assassinate his uncle? Sanetomo paid too much attention to Kyoto culture and played up to the Imperial Court, which had the authority to grant official court titles. As a result, Sanetomo was promoted too quickly and his promotion made Kugyo jealous.

Secondly, Kugyo thought that had not there been for Sanetomo, Kugyo himself would have succeeded the shogunate chair. He was the first son of Yoriie, she short-lived second shogun. However, the exact cause of the assassination is not clear. Some say it was a conspiracy plotted by the head of the Hojo clan, or the father of Masako to be exact. Right after the assassination, Kugyo himself was also killed by Sanetomo’s guards.

Tower Gate

The double-decked, red-colored tower gate you will see after climbing the 61 steps is similar to the Nio gates. Being a hallmark of Buddhist temples, it is reminiscent of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism. Unlike temples’ Nio gates, which have the Two Deva kings with threatening aspects here are two statues of Court Nobles wearing formal costumes. The Tower Gate was rebuilt in 1828 but the statues were made in 1624. In winter with leafless trees, this spot affords a good view of the Wakamiya-oji main street toward the south.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Main Hall

The building is made of two parts, first is the Haiden or the oratory hall in front. Then there is the Honden of the inner sanctum, which is the most sacred part of the entire shrine. The Haiden is the place where all kinds of ritual ceremonies and worship are performed.

The Hachimangu Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Ojin (?-310). He was the Fifteenth Emperor in the early 4th century (the current emperor is said to be the 126th) together with Empress Jingu. He is widely worshiped as the god of warriors. The Minamoto clan were descendants of the imperial family. To be more specific, they were the descendants of the 56th Emperor Seiwa (850-880), and Hachimangu was Emperor Seiwa’s tutelary deity.

Thus, Yoritomo as a descendant of Emperor Seiwa became a pious adherent of Hachimangu. Initially, the Shrine had been built by Yoriyoshi Minamoto (985-1078), Yoritomo’s great-great-grandfather, near the beach of Kamakura in 1063, and it still exists as the Yui Wakamiya Shrine. It was too small, however, to show off the Minamoto clan’s muscles, therefore Yoritomo built a new Hachimangu shrine on its current location and named it Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.

The vermillion main sanctuary was rebuilt in 1828 by Ienari Tokugawa (1773-1841), the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. The Tokugawa family claimed they were offspring descended from the Minamotos, and protected the shrine. Vermillion color dominates the whole wooden structure making a beautiful contrast with the verdure of the surrounding trees.

Prayers

The style of architecture is called Gongen Zukuri, or consisting of two structures, or two gable-roofs in tiers, the oratory in front and the sanctum at the rear, which convey an extraordinary sense of majesty and power. The sanctum does not contain any statues like those of temples. It is adorned with symbolical objects of worship such as a mirror made of polished metal, a sword (both are regalias of the imperial family), a tablet, and zig-zag cuts of a white paper called Gohei.

There is a traditional manner to pray before the Haiden of Shinto shrines: Bow twice, clap your hands twice and bow once again. A money offering is also needed before praying. The rich throw a 10,000-yen bill or two, but most people toss in a 10-yen coin. I don’t think any gods ever discriminate against worshipers depending upon the amount of money they offer. Inside the oratory, some people may be sitting on the tatami-mat floor.

They are here to ask Shinto priests to pray to the shrine god for their well-being such as family safety, business prosperity, recovery from illness, etc. A busy season for the Shinto priests is early to mid-November, when families having children whose ages reach seven, five or three usually visit the Shrine clad with beautiful kimono or dresses coupled with their parents, and have the priest pray for their good health and bright future. The ceremony is called Shichi-go-san, or Seven-five-three.

On New Year Day, the shrine sells Hamaya, or exorcising arrows, as good-luck amulets. It is a bestseller and 250,000 of them are sold every year.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Museum

On the left-hand side of the Main Hall is an entrance to the corridor-type Treasure House where the shrine’s valuable objects are exhibited. Included are seven portable-shrines made in the 17th to 18th century, ancient swords, two of Yoritomo’s sedentary statues, a folding screen on which various stages of war between the Minamoto and Taira clans are depicted, a twelve-layered robe for court ladies, a suit of armor, ancient brush-writings and various wooden masks.

Notable artwork is a lacquered inkstone case decorated with laminae of mother-of-pearl depicting chrysanthemum flowers with flying birds. The case was a gift conferred on Yoritomo by Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-1192). The gold lacquered quivers of mother-of-pearl work and black-lacquered arrows are also renowned.

Your Japan Tour

As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations like Kamakura. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Area Map

Kotokuin History

Kamakura’s colossus is not the only Great Buddha in Japan. Five hundred years earlier, Todaiji’s Great Buddha saw the light in Nara and apparently served as inspiration. There are even closer links. The first Kamakura shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147 – 1199), sponsored the rebuilding of the Nara Buddha. The statue had been devastated by his enemies in the civil war that led to his coming to power. In 1195, he, therefore, attended the religious ceremonies with which the restored Nara Great Buddha and Todaiji were inaugurated.

At that time, he may have received the idea to set up a large Buddha also in Kamakura, the seat of his new military government. In the end, it was a pious lady of his court, Inada no Tsubone who came to the rescue. With the help of the priest Joko, she did the fundraising necessary for the project.

Consequently, in 1243, after five years of work a wooden Great Buddha was finished and enshrined in a hall on the present site. Wood may have been used because it was less expensive. Or maybe it was simply because the Japanese preferred the warmth of wood to the colder bronze. Most Buddhist statues in Japan are made of wood, except the earliest ones, when bronze, lacquer, and clay were widely used.

A Momentous History

The first Great Buddha did not last long. Only a few years after its inauguration, a storm blew away the temple and severely damaged the image. Rebuilding soon began and now it was decided to cast the new Buddha in bronze. This Buddha is the present one, and it was finished in 1252.

Thanks to the strength of its material, the Great Buddha has survived the ages. Not so the wooden temple structure that provided a house for him. It was wrecked by a storm in 1335, although not wholly destroyed. The finishing touch was left for a tidal wave, a tsunami, that raced through the Hase valley in 1495. All vestiges of the temple were swept away by the mass of water, but the heavy statue survived intact.

Since then, Buddha has been sitting unsheltered, without any protection above his head. As the military government had fallen and power had shifted away from Kamakura, it was no longer possible to collect the funds for the rebuilding of the massive wooden hall. This may have been for the best. After all, what is more impressive and beautiful than Buddha reposing under the blue dome of the heavens, with the green forested hill at his back? This is the natural environment for the Amida.

Kotokuin Entrance Gate

The entrance to the temple is ingenious. A gate closes off the compound from the street. At the ticket office, the view of the inside is obstructed by intentionally planted shrubs. Only when you step around those shrubs, the Great Buddha sitting at the end of the wide, white courtyard fills your view. It is a scene so beautiful that it always stirs something inside. Even the large number of noisy spectators is nullified by the size and majesty of the Buddha.

The Big Buddha

The statue is more than 11 meters high, and its widest circumference at the base is almost 30 meters. It weighs 93 tons. There are 656 stylized curls adorning his massive head, which on purpose has been cast larger than normal, as otherwise it would have seemed smallish from below. The horizontal lines running through the statue and the face are the places where the different sections of castings were brazed together. The elongated earlobes of the Buddha denote sanctity, the boss on the forehead symbolizes his power to illuminate the whole world.

Religious Background

The Merciful Buddha of Western Paradise I stand in front of the Amida. He is the merciful Buddha of the Western Paradise, the Pure Land, where all people who sincerely call on his name and have faith in him, will be reborn. I have met him in Kotokuin and Honenin in Kyoto and felt his presence in Higashi Honganji. In Kotokuin, he is shown as presiding over this Pure Land, his hands resting in his lap forming the meditation mudra. Standing before the image, at only 3 to 4 meters distance, Amida seems to enfold and comfort me.

Amidism was a new direction in Japanese Buddhism, which gained popularity in the Kamakura period, thanks to the activities of great priests as Honen and Shinran. The essence of their doctrine is that man is incapable of attaining Enlightenment by his own efforts. In the days of the historical Buddha, self-discipline was ideal. But people in the late Heian and Kamakura ages believed they were living in the degenerate times of the Latter Days of the Law (Mappo).

Weathering the Elements

The only alternative was to place faith in the mercy of the Buddha Amida who made a vow to save all sentient beings, even the wicked if they had sincere belief. Amidism took Buddhism out of the cloisters and aristocratic mansions and into the streets and villages. It became (and still is) the most popular form of Buddhism, with the largest number of followers all over Japan.

So, Amida remains seated ‘amid the dew’, as the Japanese poetically call it, having survived many centuries of storms and earthquakes. Open to the elements, he seems to live with them. On rainy days, the copper takes on a deep green hue, while under the bright sun he looks gray-blue. It is natural to sit out there, seemingly larger than the green hill behind him, in that pose of infinite serenity. Inspiring confidence, all worries evaporate faced with this immense mass of tranquility.

Your Japan Tour

As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations like Kamakura. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country. Japan is full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

Kotokuin Area Map

Temple Story

Once upon a time, there was a poor young man. He went to a temple and prayed to Kannon, the Goddess of mercy. Please make me rich “. Then Kannon appeared and told him “ The thing that you catch after you leave here will make you rich.” The young man was happy to hear that but stumbled over a stone on leaving the temple and grabbed a straw.

As Kannon told him, he started to walk with the straw in his hand. Then a horsefly flew to him. He caught and tied it to the straw. Then, a child came up to him with his mother and said “I want the horsefly “, the young man gave it to him and the mother gave him three oranges. Then he met a sick woman. He gave his oranges to her, she gave him a bolt of kimono textiles. In this way, he bartered the things in his hand with something one after another, and eventually, he became a millionaire and lived happily ever after…

This well known Japanese old tale Warashibe Choja, A Straw Millionaire, originated from the Hasedera in Nara, which is designated as the 8th temple of the thirty-three holy places in Western Japan for Kannon Boddhisatva. This Hasedera in Kamakura is its sister temple, it is even said that the statue of Kannon that is in the hall of the Hasedera in Kamakura is made from the same tree as the statue in Nara.

Seasonal Flowers in Hasedera

Various kinds of flowers blooming through the year on its grounds, the temple has been nicknamed ‘Flower temple’ since ancient times. I especially love to visit the Hasedera to view the Ajisai, hydrangea in the early summer season.

The main statue there is called Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu meaning Eleven faced Kannon Boddhisatva. It is an impressive 10 meters in height. The Kannon sits in the main hall built halfway up the mountain. Although I’ve come here many times and taken a lot of pictures of the same scenery each time, it is overwhelming every time. The old wooden roof has hanging lanterns at a regular distance and that makes the corridors especially photogenic.

The whole precinct is said to represent The Pure Land of Happiness in Buddhism. Also, the corridor is like a holy path to the paradise of Buddhism. Along the corridor, seasonal flowers such as peonies in spring, hydrangeas, and clematis in summer always please visitors.

Sutra Writing

If you are interested in hand-writing Buddhist sutra, there is a room in the Hasedera where you can do this. Click here for more information on how to do this. The garden in front of the room is a real zen garden, and very beautiful in its raked perfection. There is also a mysterious looking cave on the grounds of the Hasedera, in which you can pray to goddess Benzaiten for the various things that stream such as luck, wisdom, and money.

Returning to the old tale, I tried to think about what the story suggests to us. I came to think the following way. The straw might represent something you will happen to encounter today… whatever you get, if you treasure it and let it go when needed, it will transform another thing and such goodwill keeps rotating, then it will come back to you in a big way someday.

Your Japan Tour

As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations like Kamakura. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country. Japan is full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

Hasedera Area Map