Jufuku-ji

Jufuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in the Ōgigayatsu district of Kamakura and holds the third rank among the five major Zen monasteries of the region. A stone-paved path runs from the entrance gate through a grove of old trees to the middle gate, where visitors usually stop.

Hōjō Masako founded the complex in 1200 together with the monk Eisai on the former residence of Minamoto no Yoshitomo. The temple later became part of a system of five official Zen monasteries that shaped religious life in Kamakura.

The seated Shakyamuni Buddha in the main hall receives offerings from worshippers, while side chambers preserve documents about tea cultivation and Zen practice. The temple still functions as an active place of meditation and draws pilgrims who honor the early roots of Zen Buddhism in Japan.

The temple sits ten minutes on foot from JR Kamakura Station and normally allows visitors only as far as the middle gate. During New Year celebrations and Golden Week in spring, however, the inner areas also open to the public.

Two ancient rock chambers behind the temple hold the graves of Hōjō Masako and Minamoto no Sanetomo, marked by five-tiered stone pagodas in front. This type of burial was common in medieval Kamakura for high-ranking figures and appears at several sites across the city.

Location: Ōgigayatsu

Inception: 1200

Founders: Hōjō Masako, Eisai

Part of: Kamakura Gozan, 鎌倉三十三観音霊場, Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Kamakura, 24 sanctuaires Jizo de Kamakura

Address: 神奈川県鎌倉市扇ヶ谷1-17-7

Opening Hours: 24/7

GPS coordinates: 35.32432,139.55011

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:24