TSURUGAOKA HACHIMAN-GU
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The most important Shinto shrine of Kamakura, it is dedicated to the god Hachiman, patron saint of the Minamoto family and warriors in general. It was built in 1063 not far from the bay of Kamakura by Yorioshi Minamoto, as a replica of the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū shrine in Kyoto, the tutelary sanctuary of his clan and dedicated to the emperor Ōjin. For more than 700 years, the shrine was also a Buddhist temple, until the separation of the two religions was decided in 1868.
The sanctuary is located in the middle of a beautiful garden on one of the city's hills. After crossing the red arch, you pass over the Akabashi, a half-moon bridge that divides the Gempei pond, which is composed of two rooms where impressive lotuses grow. We then arrive in front of the Maidono dance pavilion. It is here that Shizuka, Yoshitsune Minamoto's mistress, danced at Yoritomo's request to betray her brother's hiding place. She didn't reveal anything and narrowly escaped death. Her bravery is commemorated with plays nō and dances at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū festival, September 14-16. Legend has it that one of the two ponds contains three islands and the other four, "san" and "shi" symbolizing the numbers of birth and death respectively. The white and red lotuses also symbolize the beginning and end of life. Past the Maidono, a high staircase leads to the main building of the temple. There, the treasures of the sanctuary such as swords and masks are displayed.
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