Zuisen-ji Temple

Zuisen-ji, officially Kinpeizan Zuisen-ji, lies at the head of a quiet valley called Momijigayatsu, beyond Kamakura-gu Shrine on the eastern side of Kamakura. A temple of the Rinzai Zen Engaku-ji school with Shakyamuni as its principal image, it is known as a "temple of flowers", with blooms from one season to the next.

It was founded in 1327 by Nikaido Doun, a shogunate retainer, with Muso Soseki as founding priest. Ashikaga Motouji, the first Kamakura Kubo, later became Muso's follower, revived the temple and renamed it Zuisen-ji. It became the family temple of the Kamakura Kubo Ashikaga line, ranked among the Ten Great Temples of the Kanto, and was a centre of Five Mountains literature before declining after the Eikyo War.

The highlight is the garden behind the main hall: a Zen-style pond garden cut into a tuff rock face, attributed to Muso Soseki. It was excavated and restored in 1969-70 and is said to be the only garden from the Kamakura period surviving in the city. The precinct is a National Historic Site and the garden a Place of Scenic Beauty. Also on the grounds are the Kujizo Jizo hall, the bell tower and the "Kubi Yagura" cave tomb linked to the Hojo clan; a Muso Soseki seated statue is an Important Cultural Property.

Daffodils bloom from early December to early February, plum from late January to mid-March, and autumn leaves peak from early to late December. A path beside the gate joins the Tennen hiking course towards Kenchō-ji. Allow about an hour for the grounds. Take a Keikyu bus bound for Daitonomiya from Kamakura Station and walk about 10 minutes from the stop.