ABOUT
About this spot
Engaku-ji is a Zen temple in Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, the head temple of the Engaku-ji school of Rinzai Zen and the second of the Kamakura Five Mountains. Its principal image is the crowned Shaka Nyorai. It stands right next to JR Kita-Kamakura Station and is one of Kamakura's best-known temples. The halls follow a yato, a valley cut into the hills characteristic of Kamakura, rising gradually from the Sanmon gate to the Buddha Hall and the abbot's quarters. The temple was founded in 1282 by Hōjō Tokimune, the eighth regent of the Kamakura shogunate, with the Chinese monk Mugaku Sogen (Wuxue Zuyuan) as its first abbot. It is said to have been built to console those who died in the Mongol invasions. It has remained a training monastery ever since and still has one within its grounds. Natsume Sōseki and Shimazaki Tōson are among those who practiced Zen here, and the Ichisōan in Sōseki's novel "Mon" is said to be modeled on a building at the sub-temple Kigen-in. The most famous sight is the Shariden (relic hall), a National Treasure in the innermost Shōzoku-in and the only National Treasure building in Kanagawa. It has the typical features of Zen-style architecture; once thought to date from the Kamakura period, it is now considered to date from the early 15th century. It is normally closed, and only its exterior is opened to the public on the first three days of the new year and around November 3. Another National Treasure is the Great Bell (Ōgane), donated in 1301 by Hōjō Sadatoki and said to be the largest in the Kantō region. The Sanmon gate was rebuilt in 1785 by Seisetsu Shūchō, and its upper floor houses an eleven-faced Kannon and the sixteen arhats. The sub-temple Butsunichi-an is the mausoleum of Hōjō Tokimune, where Sadatoki and Takatoki are also interred; it has the Ensokuken tea room said to have inspired a scene in Kawabata Yasunari's "Thousand Cranes," and magnolias given by Lu Xun. Sub-temples are generally closed to the public, but Shōrei-in, known for its peonies, opens for limited periods in spring and autumn. Zen meditation sessions open to the public, including weekend sessions, are held regularly. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (until 4:00 p.m. from December to February); allow about one to one and a half hours for a thorough visit. Tsurugaoka Hachimangū (about 1.5 km), Kōtoku-in (the Great Buddha, about 2.5 km) and Yuigahama beach (about 3.3 km) lie nearby, making Kita-Kamakura a natural starting point for a walk into central Kamakura.
Last updated October 18, 2026