is the most important

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

in the city of

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The shrine is a cultural center of the city of Kamakura and serves as the venue of many of its most important festivals with two museums. For most of its history, it served both as a

Hachiman shrine A is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the ''kami'' Hachiman. It is the second most numerous type of Shinto shrine after those dedicated to Inari Ōkami (see Inari shrine). There are about 44,000 Hachiman shrines. Originally the name 八幡 was rea ...

, and in latter years a

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

typical of

Japanese Buddhist architecture Examples of Buddhist architecture in Japan Japanese Buddhist architecture is the architecture of Buddhist temples in Japan, consisting of locally developed variants of architectural styles born in China.p=716/ref> After Buddhism arrived from ...

. The famed Buddhist priest Nichiren Daishonin once reputedly visited the shrine to reprimand the

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

Hachiman In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements f ...

just before his execution at Shichirigahama beach. A former one thousand-year-old ginkgo tree near its entrance was uprooted by a storm on 10 March 2010. The shrine continues to serve as one of the

Important Cultural Properties of Japan An The term is often shortened into just is an item officially classified as Tangible Cultural Property (Japan), Tangible Cultural Property by the Government of Japan, Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Ministry of Education, Cul ...

History

This shrine was originally built in 1063 as a branch of Iwashimizu Shrine in Zaimokuza, where tiny Moto Hachiman now stands. It was dedicated to the Emperor Ōjin (deified with the name

, tutelary ''

'' of warriors), his mother Empress Jingu, and his wife Hime-gami.

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

, the founder of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

, moved the shrine to its present location in 1191, inviting

A ''kami'' is transferred to a new location through a process called kanjō. to reside in the new location to protect his government. The shrine experienced a major fire on 14 November 1280, during which several artifacts were stolen from the inner sanctum.

Assassination of Minamoto no Sanetomo

One of the historical events the shrine is tied to is the assassination of Sanetomo, the last of Minamoto no Yoritomo's sons. Under heavy snow on the evening of 12 February 1219 (

Jōkyū , also called Shōkyū, was a Japanese era name (年号, ''nengō'', lit. year name) after ''Kempo (era), Kempō'' and before ''Jōō (Kamakura period), Jōō.'' This period spanned the years from April 1219 through April 1222.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

1, 26th day of the 1st month),Gregorian date obtained directly from the original Nengō usin
Nengocalc
shōgun

Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third ''shōgun'' of the Kamakura shogunate. He was the second son of the Kamakura shogunate founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo. His mother was Hōjō Masako and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie. His child ...

was coming down from Tsurugaoka Hachimangū's Senior Shrine after assisting in a ceremony celebrating his nomination to

Udaijin was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Udaijin'' in the context of a central administrat ...

. His nephew

Kugyō is the collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. The term generally referred to the and court officials and denoted a court rank between First Rank and Third Rank un ...

, son of second shōgun

Minamoto no Yoriie was the second ''shōgun'' (1202–1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shōgun Yoritomo. His Dharma name was Hokke-in-dono Kingo Da'i Zengo (法華院殿金吾大禅閤). Life Minamoto no Yoriie was born to Hōj ...

, came out from next to the stone stairway of the shrine, then suddenly attacked and killed Sanetomo; he hoped by this deed to become ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' himself.Azuma Kagami; Mutsu (1995/06: 102–104) The killer is often described as hiding behind the giant ginkgo, but no contemporary text mentions the tree; this detail is likely an Edo-period invention, which first appeared in

Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese daimyō, daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming ...

's Shinpen Kamakurashi. For his act Kugyō was himself beheaded a few hours later, thus bringing the

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto members, including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Yoritomo, ...

line of the Minamoto clan and their rule in Kamakura to a sudden end.

Shrine and temple

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū is now just a Shinto shrine but, for the almost 700 years from its foundation until the of 1868, its name was and it was also a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in Kamakura. The mixing of Buddhism and ''kami'' worship in shrine-temple complexes like Tsurugaoka, called '' jingū-ji'', had been normal for centuries until the Meiji government decided for political reasons that this was to change. (According to the ''

honji suijaku The term in Japanese religious terminology refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period according to which Indian Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native ''kami'' to more easily convert and save the Japanese.Breen and Te ...

'' theory, Japanese ''kami'' were just local manifestations of universal

buddhas In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the supreme goal of Buddhism, variously described as awakening or enlighten ...

, and Hachiman in particular was one of the earliest and most popular syncretic gods. As early as the 7th century, Hachiman was worshiped together with Miroku Bosatsu (

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddhahood, Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: Th ...

) in places like Usa).Bernhard Scheid The separation policy (''

shinbutsu bunri The Japanese term indicates the separation of Shinto from Buddhism, introduced after the Meiji Restoration which separated Shinto ''kami'' from buddhas, and also Buddhist temples from Shinto shrines, which were originally amalgamated. It is a ...

'') was the direct cause of serious damage to important cultural assets. Because mixing the two religions was now forbidden, shrines and temples had to give away some of their treasures, thus damaging the integrity of their cultural heritage and decreasing the historical and economic value of their properties.Kamakura Shōkō Kaigijo (2008: 28) Tsurugaoka Hachiman's giant (the two wooden wardens usually found at the sides of a temple's entrance), being objects of Buddhist worship and therefore illegal where they were, had to be sold to

Jufuku-ji , usually known as Jufuku-ji, is a temple of the Kenchō-ji branch of the Rinzai sect and the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Ranked third among Kamakura's prestigious Five Mountains, it is number 24 among the pilgrimag ...

, where they still remain.See article

The shrine also had to destroy Buddhism-related buildings, including its (a complete seven-building Buddhist temple compound), its ''

tahōtō A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Vajrayana, Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories (two). (The second story has ...

'' tower, and its (the enshrinement hall of a

buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

). In important ways, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was impoverished in 1868 as a consequence of this Meiji Era policy. The imposed, inflexible reform orthodoxy of this early Meiji period was unquestionably intended to affect Buddhism and Shinto. However, the structures and artwork of this ancient shrine-temple were not yet construed as important elements of Japan's cultural patrimony.After 1897, when the ''Law for the Preservation of Ancient Shrines and Temples'' was enacted, a range of other factors would come to be considered. What remains to be visited today is only a partial version of the original shrine-temple.

Meiji-Showa periods

From 1871 through 1946, Tsurugaoka was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the mid-range of ranked, nationally significant shrines.

Layout of shrine complex

Both the shrine and the city were built with

Feng Shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

in mind. The present location was carefully chosen as the most propitious after consulting a diviner because it had a mountain to the north (the ), a river to the east (the Namerikawa), a great road to the west (the ) and was open to the south (on

Sagami Bay lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while the i ...

).Ōnuki (2008:80) Each direction was protected by a god: Genbu guarded the north, Seiryū the east, Byakko the west and Suzaku the south. The

willows Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

near the Genpei Ponds (see below) and the

catalpa ''Catalpa'' (, ), commonly also called catawba, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia. Description Most ''Catalpa'' are decidu ...

s next to th
Museum of Modern Art
represent respectively Seiryū and Byakko. In spite of all the changes the shrine has gone through over the years, in this respect Yoritomo's design is still basically intact. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu From Third Torii until First Torii

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu From Third Torii until First Torii

There is a 1.8 km straight street in the front of shrine, called "

Wakamiya Ōji is a 1.8 km street in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan, unusual because it is at the same time the city's main avenue and the approach () of its largest Shinto shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū. Over the cen ...

(若宮大路)". It is the approach (

sandō A in Japanese architecture is the road approaching either a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version. Its point of origin is usually straddled in the first case ...

(参道)) of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, there are three big

Torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

(Shinto gate). The Torii gate farthest from the shrine is called Ichi-no-Torii (the first torii), the one in the middle is Ni-no-Torii (the second torii) and the one in front of the shrine is San-no-Torii (the third torii). As one enters, after San-no-Torii (the third torii) there are three small bridges, two flat ones on the sides and an arched one at the center. In the days of the shogunate there used to be only two, a normal one and another arched, made in wood and painted red. The shōgun would leave his retinue there and proceed alone on foot to the shrine.Mutsu (1995/06: 102-104) The arched bridge was called ''Akabashi'' (''Red Bridge''), and was reserved to him: common people had to use the flat one. The bridges span over a canal that joins two ponds popularly called , or "Genpei ponds". The term comes from the names of the two families, the Minamoto ("Gen") and the Taira ("Pei"), that fought each other in Yoritomo's day. The stele just after and to the left of the first ''torii'' explains the origin of the name:Original Japanese text availabl
here
/ref>

The Genpei Ponds
File:Genpei-ike 01.JPG, Genpei ponds (Minamoto Pond) File:Genpei-ike 02.JPG, Genpei ponds (Taira Pond) The Azuma Kagami says that "In April 1182 Minamoto no Yoritomo told monk Senkō and Ōba Kageyoshi to have two ponds dug within the shrine." According to another version of the story, it was Yoritomo's wife Masako who, to pray for the prosperity of the Minamoto family, had these ponds dug, and had white lotuses planted in the east one and red ones in the west one, colors which are those of the Taira and Minamoto clans. From this derives their name.

The red of those lotuses is supposed to stand for the spilled blood of the Taira.Kamiya (2008: 17 - 23)

Sub-shrines and infrastructures

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū includes several sub-shrines, the most important of which are the Junior Shrine () at the bottom, and the Senior Shrine () 61 steps above. The present Senior Shrine building was constructed in 1828 by

Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari (, 18 November 1773 – 22 March 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan'', p. 21./ref> ...

, the 11th Tokugawa ''shōgun'' in the '' Hachiman-zukuri'' style. Right under the stairway there's an open pavilion called where weddings, dances and music are performed. A couple of hundred meters to the right of the Junior Shrine lies , a National Treasure. To the left of the Senior Shrine lies with its many ''torii''. Near ''Shirahata Jinja'' one can also find the , literally the "Yui Wakamiya Pray-at-a-Distance Place" (see photo). This facility, originally created for the ''shōguns benefit, allows one to worship at distant Yui Wakamiya ( Moto Hachiman) without actually going all the way to Zaimokuza.Komachi, Nishi Mikado
by the Kamakura Citizen's Network, retrieved on July 23, 2008 Right next to the ''Yui Wakamiya Yōhaijo'' there are two stones: pouring water on them should reveal on each the contour of a turtle. One of the islands in the Minamoto pond hosts a sub-shrine called dedicated to goddess

Benzaiten is an East Asian Buddhism, East Asian Buddhist Dharmapala, goddess who originated from the Hindu Saraswati, the patroness of speech, the arts, and learning. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mai ...

, a Buddhist deity. For this reason, the sub-shrine was dismantled in 1868 at the time of the "Shinto and Buddhism separation" order (see below) and rebuilt in 1956.

Wakamiya Ōji

An unusual feature of the shrine is its 1.8 km (approach), which extends all the way to the ocean in

Yuigahama is a beach near Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The relation between the beach and its neighboring areas is complex. Although Yuigahama is legally the entire 3.2 km beach that goes from Inamuragasaki, which separates it from ...

and doubles as Wakamiya Ōji Avenue, Kamakura's main street. Built by

as an imitation of Kyoto's , Wakamiya Ōji used to be much wider and flanked by both a 3 m deep canal and pine trees (see Edo period print below).Kamakura Shōkō Kaigijo (2008: 56-57) Walking from the beach toward the shrine one passes through three ''

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

'', or Shinto gates, called respectively '' Ichi no Torii'' (first gate), '' Ni no Torii'' (second gate) and '' San no Torii'' (third gate). Between the first and the second lies which, as the name indicates, was the place where riders had to get off their horses in deference to

and his shrine. Some hundred meters further, between the second and third ''torii'', begins the , a raised pathway flanked by cherry trees. The ''dankazura'' becomes gradually wider so that, seen from the shrine, it will look longer than it really is. The entire length of the dankazura is under the direct administration of the shrine.

Giant ginkgo

The

ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants, assigned to the gymnosperms. The scientific name is also used as the English common name. The order to which the genus belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, , and ''Ginkgo'' is n ...

tree that stood next to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū's stairway almost from its foundation and which appears in almost every old print of the shrine was completely uprooted and greatly damaged at 4:40 in the morning on March 10, 2010. According to an expert who analyzed the tree, the fall is likely due to rot. Both the tree's stump and a section of its trunk replanted nearby have produced leaves (see photo). The tree was nicknamed because according to an

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

, a now-famous assassin hid behind it before striking his victim. For details, see the article Shinpen Kamakurashi.

Activities

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū is the center of much cultural activity and both '' yabusame'', (archery from horseback), and ''

kyūdō ''Kyūdō'' () is the Japanese martial art of archery. Kyūdō is based on ''kyūjutsu'' ("art of archery"), which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. In 1919, the name of kyūjutsu was officially changed to kyūdō, and following ...

'' (Japanese archery) are practiced within the shrine. It also has extensive

peony The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguish ...

gardens, three coffee shops, a kindergarten, offices and a ''

dōjō A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese. History The word ''dōjō'' originates fro ...

''. Within its grounds stand two museums, the Kamakura Museum of National Treasures, owned by the City of Kamakura, and the prefectura
Museum of Modern Art

Gallery of shrines

File:Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū Shrine.jpg, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū – a

with

Buddhist architecture Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the sacred architecture, religious architecture of History of Buddhism, early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate ...

File:Inner court of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū.JPG, The inner court of Tsurugaoka Hachimangū File:Inari shrine at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū 01.JPG,

Inari shrine is a type of Japanese shrine used to worship the kami Inari. Inari is a popular deity associated with foxes, rice, household wellbeing, business prosperity, and general prosperity. Inari shrines are typically constructed of white stucco walls wit ...

File:Inari shrine at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū 02.JPG, The red

(gates) along the road to Inari shrine File:Shirahata Shrine.JPG, Shirahata Shrine File:Hataage Benzaiten Shrine.JPG, Hataage

Shrine File:Ithe two stones at Yui Wakamiya Yōhaijo.JPG, The two stones at Yui Wakamiya Yōhaijo File:Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū Dankazura 001.jpg, Dankazura File:Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū Arched bridge 002.jpg, Arched bridge File:Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū Arched bridge 001.jpg, Arched bridge

Notes

References

Bibliography

''Azuma Kagami''
accessed on September 4, 2008;

* Brinkley, Frank and Dairoku Kikuchi. (1915)
''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era.''
New York: Encyclopædia Britannica. * * * Mass, Jeffrey P. (1995)
''Court and Bakufu in Japan: Essays in Kamakura History.''
Stanford:

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It is currently a member of the Ass ...

. * * * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1962)
''Sovereign and Subject.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. *

External links

Official website (in Japanese)
* National Archives of Japan, Digital Gallery: ** Mori Koan map
Soshu Kamakuranozu
drawn in 5th year of '' Horeki'' (1755). *

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

Digital Gallery: ** NYPL ID 119488, unknown photographer, albumen print, 189?-190?
Perspective beyond torii
** NYPL ID 118907,

Felice Beato Felice Beato (c. 1832 – 29 January 1909), also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian Briton, Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photography, war photographer ...

, albumen print, 187?
Shrine steps and forecourt
** NYPL ID 110031, Kusakabe Kimbei, albumen print, 188?-189
Great stairway
** NYPL ID 118911,

, albumen print, 187?
Senior Shrine structural detail
** NYPL ID 118912,

, albumen print, 187?
''Tahōtō,'' single-storied pagoda
* 11th-century establishments in Japan 1063 establishments in Asia Buildings and structures completed in 1191 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1190s Religious buildings and structures completed in 1828 Shinto shrines in Kamakura, Kanagawa Hachiman shrines Buildings and structures completed in 1063 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1060s Beppyo shrines Kokuhei Chūsha Shrines dedicated to Empress Jingū Kanagawa Prefecture designated tangible cultural property Hachiman-zukuri {{Hachiman Faith