This article is based on a visit made on Tuesday, 15 November 2016.
Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮,
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu) is the largest and most important Shinto shrine in Kamakura. It has almost a millennium of history behind it, having been first consecrated in AD 1063, but moved to its present location in the late 12th century by
Minamoto no Yoritomo (源 頼朝, 1147-1199), the warlord who founded the Kamakura shogunate. Despite serving the Shinto religion, it maintains a few Buddhist and Chinese elements too, namely in its Feng Shui-influenced layout.
This meticulous degree of planning is apparent even before you reach the shrine. A long boulevard runs almost entirely straight from the entrance of the shrine all the way down to the beach. The east exit of Kamakura Station puts you mid-way up this road. There is a pedestrian walkway going down the middle, called the
Dankazura (段葛, lit. 'kudzu stairs'). It is bookended by red torii gates and lined by cherry trees, which bloom in late March and early April.
After the Dankazura, a trio of bridges stand in front of the shrine. Way back during the Kamakura shogunate, there were two bridges: a rounded, red-painted wooden bridge which only the shogun was allowed to cross, and a flat bridge for commoners. In 1697, they were replaced with the ones you see here. The stone bridge in the centre is called the Taiko-bashi (太鼓橋, lit. 'big drum bridge'), as its rounded shape evokes a taiko drum. Nowadays, it is also blocked off, although I would guess it's just to preserve it. It had collapsed during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, but was rebuilt soon after.
There are two ponds on either side of the entrance, connected under the bridges. The eastern pond was meant to represent the Minamoto clan, and the western pond to represent the Taira clan, which was defeated by the former. The Minamoto pond has three islands and the Taira pond has four; as the number 4 has connotations of death in Japanese culture, this was a subtle jab at the Taira clan.
One of the three islands on the eastern pond is connected by a bridge, and atop this island stands a shrine to a Buddhist figure. The shrine, named Hataage Benzaiten Shrine (旗上弁財天社), honours
Benzaiten (弁財天), a.k.a. Benten, the goddess of knowledge and music. Co-mingling of Shinto and Buddhist facilities used to be common until the Meiji period. In 1868, a law was passed by the new imperial government forcing the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, called the
"Law of separation of Kami and Buddha" (神仏判然令,
Shinbutsu Hanzenrei). As a consequence of the law, Buddhist buildings on the grounds of Shinto shrines were destroyed, including several at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. Attitudes on the matter have relaxed since then; this shrine was rebuilt in its original form in 1980.
We still have a ways to go before reaching the heart of the shrine. This broad path takes only a couple of minutes to traverse. It is used for horseback archery (流鏑馬,
yabusame) displays during a festival in September. Speaking of holidays, as many as two million visitors make their New Year's Day prayers at this shrine, so even this avenue can fill up on such occasions. But on a cloudy Tuesday morning... not so much.
That said, my visit did coincide with a holiday... sort of.
Shichi-Go-San (七五三, lit. 'seven-five-three') is a religious observance where parents of three and seven-year-old girls, and three and five-year-old boys, pray for their kids' safety and long life at local shrines. Indeed, the name "shichi-go-san" means "seven-five-three" in Japanese. The actual date of the holiday is the 15th of November, but most people observe it on the nearest weekend. It seems there still were some families going out for the occasion on the day itself, however.
Heading along, we eventually come to a plaza in which stands the
shimo-haiden (下拝殿, lit. 'lower worship hall'), or
maiden (舞殿, lit. 'dance hall'). Various rituals are performed here, including ceremonial music and dance.
Behind the Maiden, a giant ginkgo tree used to stand next to the stairs leading up to the main hall. It was almost 1,000 years old, and would turn a golden-yellow colour along with the other trees in Kamakura in early December. Sadly, it was felled during a storm on the morning of 10 March 2010. The site of its stump has since been marked off with a
shimenawa, as the old tree itself was beforehand.
Here is what the tree looked like while it was still standing, by the way. This picture was taken in November of 2004.
Passing the stump and climbing up the stairs, we finally reach the main hall.
Hachiman Shrines like this one are dedicated to
Hachiman (八幡神,
Hachiman-jin), the Shinto god of warriors and archery, and also the protector god of the Minamoto clan. Hachiman shrines are the second-most widespread variety of Shinto shrines in Japan, followed by Inari shrines (described below).
Some of the ema prayer plaques sold here are shaped like ginkgo leaves, in honour of the aforementioned tree. I don't know, but I wonder if they had those before the tree was toppled.
The grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu are quite vast, and hold a number of smaller shrines. For example, here is the Maruyama Inari Shrine (丸山稲荷社,
Maruyama Inari-jinja). Inari shrines are typified by approaches lined with many
torii gates, and are patronised by people praying for good harvests or business. The Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is one of the most famous examples,
and I would get to that one eventually.
Even on a day as cloudy as this, looking out from the main hall gives impressive views, underscoring just how far we've come along to get there. With such a wide world in view, I wonder where it might take me...?
...Oh wait, I know. I'm going to Hokoku-ji Temple, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hours: Open from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM, or 24 hours on 1-3 January. No regular closing days.
Costs: Free. Entry to the shrine museum on-site costs ¥200, and the garden on the edge of the Genpei pond costs ¥500 (open seasonally in Winter and Spring).
Address: 2-1-31 Yukinoshita, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken 〒248-8588
Access: The entrance to Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine is 10 minutes on foot from Kamakura Station (JR Yokosuka
(JO), Shonan-Shinjuku
(JS), and Enoshima tram
(EN) lines).
Directions: From Kamakura Station, start from the east exit, cross the parking lot, and turn left at the traffic light. Continue up the boulevard until you reach the shrine entrance at the end of the road. It takes 10 minutes to walk to the entrance, plus another 5 minutes to the main hall.
Alternately, you may wish to walk up the Komachi-dori shopping street, which runs roughly parallel to the main street. This road starts from the north corner of the parking lot (to the left, when facing from the station). At the end of Komachi-dori, turn right; after a minute, the shrine entrance will be on the left. This takes the same amount of time as the other route.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
