Kamakura is an ancient city that has produced its own original culture. Once it was a political capital along with Nara and Kyoto, and was also the birthplace of Japan’s first samurai government, the “Kamakura shogunate.” Warrior Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed as Seii-Taishogun (shogun) by the Imperial court in 1192 and established the Kamakura shogunate, which was the first samurai government in Japan, whereas previously the Imperial court in Kyoto had held power.
00:00 Intro
00:27 The Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu)
The Daibutsu at Kotokuin is known as Kamakura Daibutsu.
The height is 11.31 meters (13.35 meters including the base) and the weight is about 121 tons. The construction of the bronze statue of Buddha as it appears today dates from 1252. Kamakura Daibutsu is the only statue of Buddha in Kamakura that is designated as a national treasure.
The whole statue was gilded and placed inside of Daibutsu-den or the great Buddha hall when it was completed. It is now an outdoor Daibutsu because the Daibutsu-den building was destroyed by earthquakes and tsunamis.
01:04 Hase-dera Temple
Hase-dera is a temple of the Jodo sect, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculptures in Japan and can be viewed in the temple’s main building, the Kannon-do Hall. According to legend, it was carved from the same tree as the similarly tall Kannon statue worshiped at the Hasedera Temple in Nara Prefecture.
04:04 Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is Kamakura’s most important shrine. It was founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063, and enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government.
The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general. The deified spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin who has been identified with Hachiman, Hime-gami and Empress Jingu are enshrined at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.
05:21 Hokoku-ji Temple
Secluded in the hills of eastern Kamakura, Hokoku-ji is a small temple of the Rinzai Sect of Zen Buddhism. Originally founded during the early years of the Muromachi Period (1333-1573), Hokokuji was the family temple of the ruling Ashikaga Clan and was later also adopted as the family temple of the Uesugi Clan.
Hokokuji Temple, however, is best known for the beautiful, small bamboo grove found behind the temple’s main hall, which lies thick with over 2000 dark green bamboo stalks. A few narrow pathways lead through the bamboo to a tea house where, for a small fee, you can sit and enjoy a cup of matcha tea while enjoying views into the bamboo grove. Also located behind the temple are a series of shallow caves carved into the hillsides, which are believed to hold the ashes of some of the later Ashikaga lords.
06:52 Engaku-ji Temple
Engakuji is one of the leading Zen temples in eastern Japan and the number two of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. It was founded by the ruling regent Hojo Tokimune in the year 1282, one year after the second invasion attempt by the Mongols had been reverted. One purpose of the new temple was to pay respect to the fallen Japanese and Mongolian soldiers.
Engakuji is built into the slopes of Kita-Kamakura’s forested hills. The first main structure encountered upon entering the temple grounds is the Sanmon main gate, which dates from 1783. Behind it stands the temple’s main hall, the Butsuden, which displays a wooden statue of the Shaka Buddha. The Butsuden was rebuilt relatively recently in 1964 after the former building had been lost in an earthquake.
09:25 Outro
more info: https://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/visitkamakura/en/about/index.html
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Music: https://youtu.be/kIQS15N5qYQ
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