Kamakura

Map of Kamakura at the National Museum of Japanese History. Wakamiya-ôji is clearly visible in the center, connecting Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine and the beach.

• Japanese: 鎌倉 (Kamakura)

Kamakura is a small city in Kanagawa prefecture (formerly, Sagami province), to the west of Tokyo and Yokohama. It was the seat of the Kamakura shogunate from 1192 to 1333.

Geography & Major Sites

The city is situated in a valley and its surrounding mountains. The main portion of the city is organized around Wakamiya-ôji, a major boulevard which runs roughly directly north-south, from Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, nestled up against the mountains, to the beach in the south. Buddhist temples, other sites, and residential neighborhoods are scattered across the surrounding mountains.

Two of the most famous sites in the city are Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, and the Kamakura Daibutsu (or, Great Buddha). Tsurugaoka was one of the chief patron shrines of the Minamoto clan (the clan of the first three Kamakura shoguns), and is dedicated to the warrior deity Hachiman. It sits at the northern end of Wakamiya-ôji, and was in the premodern era a very significant presence in the city planning; the shogunate administrative offices, as well as the residences of the shogun and his chief retainers, were organized around this shrine. The Daibutsu is easily of the most famous and widely-recognizable sights in all of Japan. The second-largest bronze Buddha statue in the country, it dates back to 1252; it was originally located indoors, but though it has been left exposed to the elements since that hall was destroyed in a tsunami in 1498, the Buddha remains in its original location and has survived every natural disaster since. The city's Hasedera, founded in the 8th century, is also significant.

Kamakura is also a major center of Zen Buddhism in Japan, and is home to the Kamakura Gozan (lit. "Five Mountains," five particularly prominent Zen temples), alongside a great number of other temples. The Five are Kenchô-ji, Engaku-ji, Jufuku-ji, Jochi-ji, and Jomyô-ji.

History

Minamoto no Yoritomo established himself in Kamakura in 1180 as he called his banners to war against the Taira clan. Once the dust settled in 1185, he made the city the seat of his new shogunate.

During the Kamakura period, the city saw a number of significant religious developments. The Hôjô clan, regents to the shoguns, heavily patronized Zen Buddhism, and Kamakura joined Kyoto as one of the chief centers of Zen practice in the country. The monk Nichiren also founded his Lotus Sect school of Buddhism in Kamakura in the 13th century.

The city saw considerable violence again in the 1330s, as forces loyal to the shogunate, and to Emperor Go-Daigo, battled over control. The city fell to Imperial forces led by Nitta Yoshisada in 1333, and before the end of the year, the shogunate officially fell, and the last Hôjô regent, Hôjô Takatoki committed suicide. Takatoki's son, Hôjô Tokiyuki, then retook the city, however, in 1335, holding it for only a brief time before Ashikaga Takauji took it from him later that year.

The Sengoku period brought violence to the city once more. The city was burned by Imagawa Noritada in 1455, and fell to forces of Ise Shinkurô (Hôjô Sôun) in 1512. Sôun established himself as lord of Kamakura, granting tax exemptions to several of the major temples while continuing to fight to secure his power over the surrounding region. Satomi clan staged a landing at the beach in 1524 in an attempt to seize the city from Sôun's successor Hôjô Ujitsuna; though they ultimately retreated, the Satomi burned much of the city, including Tsurugaoka Hachiman, to the ground, once again. Ujitsuna immediately afterwards began overseeing the reconstruction of the shrine, and of the city, however.