Lazing in Kamakura Springtime

It was a bright Spring day to visit Kamakura. For one and a half centuries (1192-1333) Kamakura was the political and cultural capital of Japan. The Emperors were confined to Kyoto in the south and the Shoguns were the CEOs of Japan. Numerous impressive temples and art were commissioned, many were Zen-influenced and much survived the violence of Man and Nature. Most visitors only stay for a day-trip from Tokyo, which is insufficient time to appreciate the historical sites. There are 65 Buddhist temples and 19 Shinto shrines linked by walks through quiet surrounding hills. Wooded mountains on three sides surround Kamakura and the fourth side is the blue Pacific. This natural amphitheatre will feature later in this article. Kamakura is only 1 hour from Tokyo Station and 30 minutes from Yokohama on the JR (Japan Railways) Yokosuka Line. Try to avoid weekends because this place is popular with the locals as well. A better route to avoid the mad rush from Tokyo is to take the private Odakyu Line from Shinjuku and get off at Fujisawa. The electric trolley (Eno-dentetsu or Eno-den) starts at Fujisawa and ends at Kamakura Station. The big attraction is the Great Buddha statue so you can hop off the eno-den at Hase to get a jump on the crowds coming the opposite way from Kamakura. From Hase Station, it’s a shorter walk, bus or taxi to the statue. We chose the hanami cherry blossom season and a weekend to visit.... like the other 10,000 visitors; so please learn from my mistake Hanami is a conjoined word from hana (flower) and mite (to watch) hence "watching the flowers"...a must-do, which will be covered in another article. Rickshaw to contrast with the bullet trains in modern Japan. Start of a long climb to various temples and shrines especially the Hachiman Shrine considered the spiritual and physical centre of Kamakura. Located on top of Stork Mountain and dedicated to Hachiman, God of War and family diety of the Minamoto clan, the shrine was the focal point of the military government encamped below. The roofline and black colour is distinctive of the Minamoto shogunate period, which was echoed in war helmets of the time. Even in those warring times, the peaceful hanami scenes would have been similar. Somehow, the violence must have made the appreciation of beauty more poignant. The life of a samurai being likened to that of a cherry blossom; as colourful as a bloom in life and falling gloriously at his best – to die for his lord. Flowers tended carefully with their own umbrellas. These are botan (Camellia japonica). The approach to our star attraction. Daibutsu (Great Buddha) is best viewed from 5m in front of it for best perspective. The statue was cast out of proportion so that the view from a devotee’s eye level gives a proportional vista. How did they know that before building one and without computers and CAD? Daibutsu with people for scale. Notice the facial proportions are different in this view. Daibutsu’s sandals. Daibutsu is 11.3m high without the pedestal and weighs 93 tons. It represents the compassionate Amida manifestation of Buddha. Built in 1252, Daibutsu survived earthquakes, typhoons and tsunami including the Big One of 1495 that ripped away the temple enclosing it. The tsunami originated off the coast and raced up the natural bay and amphitheatre, CLIMBING up the hills with sufficient force to take out a massive wooden temple. Not a good day to be outdoors. The statue has even survived the elements and pollution for centuries despite predictions of disintegration since 1495. For a fee, you can climb inside and up the statue’s interior although it seems somewhat irreverent. Hasedera is a temple with a 9m tall, 11 headed Hase Kannon statue and thousands of small Jiso stone statues dressed in colourful bibs and bonnets that are dedicated to lost babies (mainly abortions) and Kosokuji temple with a collection of memoribilia associated with the priest Nichiren. The 1200-year-old Amanawa-shinmeisha shrine dedicated to the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu Omikami, has a majestic view of the area and sea. The emperors of Japan are descended from Amaterasu Omikami. Votive candles in a cave. Most tourists miss Harakiri Cave to the northeast of kamakura Station. In 1333 (remember that date?) the last Kamakura regent, Hojo Takatoki, who was ridiculed as a weakling for his patronage of dogfights, managed to die like a man by suicide, amongst 870 of his trapped followers. Imperial forces led by General Yoshisada broke through “seven impenetrable passes” to wipe out Kamakura. MTF's Lazing Travel series continues.................. MTF ThePuristS.com Travel Discussion Forum  |  ThePuristS.com Home Page We welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections. Copyright 2002-2003 - MTF and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved