Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Central Kamakura
Modern Kamakura revolves around its central
train station
and a couple of touristy
streets leading to the town's most important shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū. The
traditional approach to this grand edifice lies along
Wakamiya-ōji
, which runs
straight from the sea to the shrine entrance. Shops here peddle a motley collection
of souvenirs and crafts, the most famous of which is
kamakura-bori
, an 800-year-old
method of laying lacquer over carved wood. More popular, however, is
hato
, a
pigeon-shaped French-style biscuit first made by Toshimaya bakers a century ago.
You can buy them all over town, but walk halfway up Wakamiya-ōji to find a good
bakery
, with its tell-tale ironwork pigeons on the outside (daily except Wed
9am-7pm;
T
0467 25 0810). Shadowing Wakamiya-ōji to the west is
Komachi-dōri
,
a narrow, pedestrian-only shopping street, packed with more souvenir shops,
restaurants and increasingly trendy boutiques.
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū
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• 2-1-31 Yuki-no-shita • Daily 6am-8.30pm • Free
A majestic, vermilion-lacquered
torii
marks the south-facing front entrance to
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū
, the Minamoto clan's guardian shrine since 1063.
Hachiman-gū, as it's popularly known, was moved to its present site in 1191, since
when it has witnessed some of the more unsavoury episodes of Kamakura history.
Most of the present buildings date from the early nineteenth century, and their striking
red paintwork, combined with the parade of souvenir stalls and the constant bustle
of people, create a festive atmosphere in sharp contrast to that of Kamakura's more
secluded Zen temples.
Three humpback bridges lead into the shrine compound between two connected
ponds known as
Genpei-ike
. These were designed by Minamoto Yoritomo's wife,
Hōjō Masako, and are full of heavy, complicated symbolism, anticipating the longed-
for victory of her husband's clan over their bitter enemies, the Taira; strangely, the
bloodthirsty Masako was of Taira stock. The
Mai-den
, an open-sided stage at the end
of a broad avenue, was the scene of another unhappy event in 1186, when Yoritomo
forced his brother's mistress, Shizuka, to dance for the assembled samurai. Yoritomo
wanted his popular brother, Yoshitsune, killed and was holding Shizuka prisoner in the
hope of discovering his whereabouts; instead, she made a defiant declaration of love
and only narrowly escaped death herself, though her newborn son was murdered soon
after. Her bravery is commemorated with classical dances and nō plays during the
shrine
festival
(Sept 14-16), which also features demonstrations of horseback archery
on the final day.
Beyond the Mai-den, a long flight of steps leads up beside a knobbly, ancient ginkgo
tree - reputedly 1000 years old and scene of the third shogun's murder by his vengeful
nephew - to the
main shrine
. It's an attractive collection of buildings set among trees,
though, as with all Shinto shrines, you can only peer in. Appropriately, the principal
deity, Hachiman, is the God of War.
Near the front of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū complex, you'll find the beautifully
restrained, black-lacquered
Shirahata-jinja
, dedicated to the first and third Kamakura
shoguns.
20
Kamakura National Treasure Hall
חࠃๅؗ
, Kamakura Kakuhōkan • 2-1-1 Yuki-no-shita • Tues-Sun 9am-4.30pm • ¥400; English-language leaflet ¥250
he modern
Kamakura National Treasure Hall
lies south of the Tsurugaoka
Hachiman-gū complex. This one-room museum is noted for its collection of
Kamakura- and Muromachi-period art (1192-1573), mostly gathered from local
Zen temples. Unfortunately, only a few of the priceless pieces are on display at any
one time.
