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A straight gravel path stretches through vast shrine grounds amid a lush green forest. Strolling along this path leads one to the brightly colored buildings of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine. This Shinto shrine was founded some 800 years ago by Shogun Yoritomo Minamoto (1147–1199), who established Japan's first shogunate here in Kamakura.
The shogunate worked through feudal give-and-take relationships based on the exchange of fiefs for fealty and service between the shogun - the military ruler of the land - and his vassalry. From the time of the first shogun, warlords ruled Japan under this system for nearly seven centuries.
The key rituals and observances of the Kamakura Shogunate were held at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, and the shrine became revered as a potent symbol of the feudal administration. Today, large numbers of visitors trek to this historic shrine from throughout Japan. While looking out from the slightly elevated shrine building, the fragrance of the sea gently touches one’s senses. Kamakura is surrounded by hills on three sides with Sagami Bay on the forth side. This geography, which provided a natural fortress for the Kamakura Shoguns, also gives the modern city of Kamakura its shape.
A tourist city, Kamakura is a one-hour train ride southwest from Tokyo. The city retains its high level of popularity not only because of easy access by highway, expressway, train, and monorail, but also the attraction of its rows of dignified, high-class homes, which reflect the city’s rich past. |
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| The coast that includes the beachfront of Kamakura is known as the Shonan Coast and is one of Japan’s most popular seaside areas. In summer, its beaches overflow with crowds of young people who come to have fun doing things like swimming, surfing, and body-boarding. |
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