Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Also called Kamakura Hachimangu Shrine, it was built as a guardian deity of the Minamoto clan. Since then, it has been the guardian deity of the Kamakura warriors. The shrine is associated with Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first barbarian general of the Kamakura Shogunate.
 
In 1063, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi enshrined Ishimizu Hachiman Shrine in Kyoto on the Yuhigahama beach near Kamakura.
 
In 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo moved the shrine to its current location and enshrined it, making it the main shrine of the Kamakura shogunate and the center of the Kamakura capital building.
 
After the decline of the Kamakura Shogunate, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine also declined.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the shrine became larger and larger under the patronage of the Edo shogunate, and Niomon gate, Gomado, Wanzo, Kaguraden, Aizen-do, Rokkakudo, Kannondo, Hokke-do, Benten-do, etc. were built.
 
The present main hall was rebuilt in 1828 by Ienari Tokugawa, the 11th shogun of the Edo Shogunate, in the Nagare-gongen-zukuri style.
 
The main shrine (Jogu), decorated with beautiful carvings in rich colors, is designated as a National Important Cultural Property along with the Wakamiya (Shimogu).
 
At the entrance to the shrine grounds is Genpei-ike Pond, which Minamoto no Yoritomo had dug.
Three islands float in the Genji Pond and four islands float in the Heike Pond, each representing birth (three) and death (four).
The ponds are inhabited by carp and snapping turtles, and there are many water birds. In summer, lotus flowers cover the entire surface.
 
Within the spacious precincts of the temple, there are many places of interest, including the Maiten (dance hall) associated with Shizuka Gozen and Shirahata Shrine, which enshrines Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Sanetomo. Visitors can enjoy beautiful seasonal flowers and trees such as cherry blossoms, lotus, autumn leaves, and peonies.
  
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine holds a number of national treasures, including a tachi sword, a bow, sacred clothes, and a maki-e inkstone box, which are all part of the samurai culture, and the “Treasure House,” a collection of venerable treasures, is located next to the main shrine.
 
On the east side of the precincts of the shrine is the Kamakura Municipal Museum’s Kamakura National Treasure House, which opened in 1928 and houses many national treasures and important cultural properties that have been deposited by shrines and temples in the city. The main building of the museum is also a registered tangible cultural property.
 
The approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is called Wakamiya-oji. It runs roughly north-south through the center of Kamakura from Yuhigahama to Hachimangu Shrine, and was built by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who himself joined the construction of the shrine, in imitation of Suzakuoji Avenue in Kyoto.

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine holds a number of national treasures such as swords, archery tools, sacred clothes, and maki-e inkstone boxes, all of which are part of the samurai culture, and the “Treasure House,” a collection of venerable treasures, is located next to the main shrine.