Kamakura
- 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.
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.[1] The city's Hasedera, founded in the 8th century, is also significant.
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.
- ↑ "Kôtoku-in (Kamakura Daibutsu)." Kamakura-burabura.com.
