Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū
The Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū ( Japanese. 鶴 岡 八 幡 宮 ) is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture .
It was originally built near Yuigahama in 1063 and was dedicated to Ojin- tennō, his mother, Jingū -kōgō and his wife Hime-gami. Minamoto no Yoritomo , founder of the Kamakura Shogunate , moved the shrine to its present location in 1191 and invited the Kami Hachiman to reside here and protect his government.
There are a number of shrines in this location, the main ones being the younger shrine at earth level and the older shrine 61 steps above. Today's "Elder Shrine" was built in 1828 by Tokugawa Ienari , the eleventh Tokugawa Shogun .
Cherry trees ( sakura ) line the road to the shrine. The trees were erected on the orders of Yoritomo as a prayer for the safe birth of his first son. Yabusame , ceremonial archery on horseback, is practiced at the shrine on September 16, a tradition that also dates back to Yoritomo.
Minamoto no Sanetomo , the third Kamakura shogun, was murdered with a bow on February 13, 1219 by his nephew, a son of the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie . This was hidden behind the large ginkgo tree , which until modern times stood next to the large staircase at the shrine. The tree fell victim to a snow storm on March 10, 2010.
The priest of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is also the priest of the Egara Tenjin Shrine ( 荏 柄 天神 ). The Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū received his bunrei (s. Shintai ) from Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū .
Web links
- Official Website - Japanese
- Kamakura City Information Center - English
- Information on A Guide to Kamakura - English
Coordinates: 35 ° 19 ′ 33.9 ″ N , 139 ° 33 ′ 23.1 ″ E