Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, Hachiman shrine in Yukinoshita, Kamakura, Japan.
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is a Hachiman shrine in Yukinoshita, Kamakura, serving as an important center of religious worship. The complex unfolds along a pathway marked by three large red torii gates, leading to a main sanctuary that sits above a broad stone staircase and is surrounded by several auxiliary buildings.
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi established the shrine in 1063 at Yuigahama, now Zaimokuza, as a branch of Iwashimizu Shrine. In 1191 Minamoto no Yoritomo moved it to its present site in Kobayashi-go Kitayama, and it became the tutelary shrine of the Kamakura shogunate. A fire on 14 November 1280 destroyed part of the complex.
The two ponds at the entrance, Genji Pond and Heike Pond, were dug in 1182 on Minamoto no Yoritomo's orders by Senkōbō Ryōsen and Ōba Kageshige. Genji Pond holds three islands and Heike Pond four, read as the numbers for birth (三) and death (四). A stone drum bridge, successor to a red-painted wooden one, links them.
The shrine remains open daily, with access hours varying by season and beginning earlier during summer months than in cooler periods. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes, as the stone staircase leading to the main building includes several dozen steps and can become slippery when wet.
A peony garden within the shrine grounds displays flowers blooming in winter, a rare sight in Japanese gardens that typically rest during this season. This unusual flowering period results from special cultivation techniques that allow the peonies to show color during the colder months.
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