Tsurugoaka Hachimangu Shrine Plan Kamakura IMG_0875 adj

For information about Kamakura and its history see Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura,_Kanagawa

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, which has largely grown around it and its 1.8 km approach. It is the venue of many of its most important festivals, and hosts two museums. For most of its history, until 1868, it was both a Hachiman shrine and a Tendai Buddhist temple. The politically enforced separation of the religions caused buildings to be destroyed and cultural heritage to be dispersed throughout Japan.

Both the shrine and the city were built with Feng Shui in mind. The present location was carefully chosen by Minamoto no Yoritomo as the most propitious because it had a mountain to the north (the Hokuzan, a river to the east (the Namerikawa), a great road to the west (the Kotō Kaidō ) and was open to the south (on Sagami Bay). Each direction was protected by a god: Genbu (north), Seiryū (east), Byakko (west) and Suzaku (south). The willows near the Genpei Ponds and the catalpas next to the Museum of Modern Art represent Seiryū and Byakko.

As one enters, after the first torii (Shinto gate) there are three small bridges, two flat ones and an central arched one. In the days of the shogunate there were two - the arched Akabashi (Red Bridge) was reserved for the Shogun. The bridges span a canal that joins together two ponds dug in 1182, "Genpei ponds", named for two warring families, the Minamoto ("Gen") and the Taira ("Pei"). One of the islands in the Minamoto pond hosts a sub-shrine called Hataage Benzaiten Shrine (dedicated to Buddhist goddess Benzaiten). The sub-shrine was rebuilt in 1956, having been dismantled in 1868 under the religious separation order.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū includes several sub-shrines, the most important of which are the Junior Shrine (Wakamiya ) at the bottom, and the Senior Shrine (Hongū ) 61 steps above. The present Senior Shrine building was constructed in 1828 by Tokugawa Ienari, the 11th Tokugawa shogun in the Hachiman-zukuri style. Right under the stairway there's an open pavilion called Maiden where weddings, dances and music are performed. A couple of hundred meters to the right of the Junior Shrine lies Shirahata Jinja, near which an annex was created to allow the shogun to worship distant Yui Wakamiya (Moto Hachiman) without actually going all the way to Zaimokuza. To the left of the Senior Shrine lies Maruyama Inari Shrine with its many torii.

At the left of its great stone stairway stood a 1000-year old ginkgo tree, which was uprooted by a storm in the early hours of March 10, 2010. The stump and a trunk section cutting are regrowing.

An unusual feature of the shrine is its 1.8 km approach (sandō), which has three torii gates and extends all the way to the ocean in Yuigahama - doubling as Wakamiya Ōji Avenue, Kamakura's main street. It was built by Minamoto no Yoritomo in imitation of Kyoto's Suzaku Ōji. In Edo period prints it used to be much wider (flanked by a 3 m deep canal and pine trees). Between the first and the second torii lies Geba Yotsukado, where riders had to dismount in deference to Hachiman and his shrine. The dankazura, a raised pathway flanked by cherry trees, begins between the second and third tori - this is currently being modified so unfortunately the trees have gone or were concealed behind boarding.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsurugaoka_Hachimang%C5%AB

Taken on: April 6, 2015

Sets appears in: • Kamakura from Tokyo

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, f/5.0, 1/2000 sec, 12.2mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX230 HS
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/2000)
Focal Length:	12.2mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-4/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	PaintShop Pro 17.00
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