Page 157 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan
P. 157
Must See
hydrangeas – which are at
their peak in June – there are
irises; these bloom in late May,
when the rear garden, usually
only tantalizingly glimpsed
through a round win dow, is
opened to the public.
0 "
Tokei-ji
⌂ 1367 Yamanouchi
§ (0467) 22-1663
£ Kamakura Stn Inside the grand Butsunichian, the
# 8:30am–4:30pm daily mausoleum of the founder of Engaku-ji
This quiet little temple was set
up as a convent in 1285, at a
time when only men were q " w "
allowed to petition for divorce. Engaku-ji Zeni-Arai
If a woman spent three years ⌂ 409 Yamanouchi Benten Shrine
in a convent she could divorce § (0467) 22-0478 ⌂ 2-25-16 Sasuke §(0467)
her husband. Thus Tokei-ji £ Kita Kamakura Stn 25-1081 £ Kamakura Stn
was nicknamed the “divorce # 8am–4:30pm daily # 8:30am–4:30pm daily
temple.” In 1873 the law was
changed to allow women to The largest of Kama kura’s “five This popular shrine to Benten,
initiate divorce, and in 1902 great” Zen temples, and set goddess of music, eloquence,
Tokei-ji became a mona stery. deep in trees, Engaku-ji was and the arts, is one of the
It is still refuge-like, with founded by the Hojo regent “seven lucky gods” of folk
gardens stretching back Tokimune in 1282. An influ- religion. Hidden in a niche in
to the wooded hillside. ential zazen (medi tation) the cliffs, it is approached
center since the Meiji era, it through a small tunnel and a
now runs public courses. row of torii. These lead to a
Although much of Engaku-ji cave spring where visitors
was destroyed by the 1923 wash coins in the hope of
Kanto Earthquake, 17 of its doubling their value.
more than 40 subtemples
remain, and careful re building
has ensured that it retains its
charac teristic Zen layout
(p177). One of its highlights,
in the Shozoku-in subtemple, EAT
is the Shariden, which houses
the relics of the Buddha. Oimo Café Kanaria
Japan’s finest example of This eatery near
Chinese Sung-style Zen archi- Kamakura station
tecture, it is open only at New serves up kakigori
Year but can be seen through (shaved ice with syrup).
a gate at other times. Farther Try one of the
on, the Butsunichian – the traditional flavors,
mauso leum of Engaku-ji’s such as green tea or
founder – serves matcha tea adzuki bean.
to visitors. This was the set- ⌂ 1F Enomoto Bldg, 2-10-
ting for Kawabata Yasunari’s 10 Komachi, Kamakura-
1949 novel Sen bazuru shi, Kanagawa 248-
(Thousand Cranes). 0006 ¢ D, Wed
∑ oimocafe.exblog.jp
The main gate to
Hokoku-ji, surrounded
by bamboo forest
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