Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine, Shinto shrine in Sasuke, Japan

Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine stands in a hollow enclosed by steep rock walls in Sasuke, Kamakura, and is entered through a tunnel built in 1958. Its buildings sit at different levels, linked by stairs: the Naiku enshrines Ichikishima-Hime-no-Mikoto, while the Okugu, the most visited hall, is a cave where the Zeniarai-mizu spring flows. A wooden shrine building with a green metal roof and white zigzag paper streamers stands on a stone base, and a second structure with a lattice front sits beneath a rough grey rock overhang hung with colourful ornaments.

Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the shrine in the late twelfth century after a dream in which a deity showed him a site near a sacred spring. Over time, the complex became a pilgrimage destination for people seeking financial blessings.

Worshippers dip coins and banknotes into the spring water, dry them in the air, and keep them in their wallets afterwards. This ritual connects the hope for material well-being with the veneration of Benzaiten, a deity associated with fortune and prosperity in Japanese belief.

The shrine is reached through a tunnel built in 1958, now the de facto main entrance; the original rear approach is a narrow trail from the Sasukegayatsu valley. It is a 20-minute walk from Kamakura Station's west exit, or a bus to Genjiyama Iriguchi plus 10 minutes on foot. Parking is free but closed to cars on weekends and Snake days.

The cave houses several smaller shrines beside the main basin, where candles flicker and incense burns. On some days, freshly washed banknotes hang to dry on the rocks around the spring.