ABOUT
About this spot
Kencho-ji in Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, is the head temple of the Rinzai Kenchoji school and ranked first among the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura. Its formal name is Komyoyama Kencho Kokoku Zenji. Hojo Tokiyori, the fifth regent of the Kamakura shogunate, was its founder, and the dedication ceremony was held in 1253. The founding abbot was Rankei Doryu, a Zen monk from Southern Song China. The principal image is Jizo Bosatsu; a Jizo statue said to be the former principal image of Shinpei-ji, an earlier temple on the site, is also preserved here. The temple flourished under shogunate protection and at its height had 49 subtemples. The great Kamakura earthquake of 1293 and later fires destroyed many of the original buildings, and in the Edo period the Tokugawa family helped rebuild or relocate the main halls. The Great Kanto Earthquake also caused damage, but each time the temple was restored. Twelve subtemples remain today. The Shugakurin school, set up in 1886, was the forerunner of Kamakura Gakuen. The main buildings stand in a straight line, the typical Zen layout: the Sōmon gate, the Sanmon gate, the Buddha Hall, the Dharma Hall and the Hojo abbot's quarters. The Buddha Hall, Karamon and Sōmon were moved here from elsewhere. The temple bell and the portrait of Rankei Doryu are National Treasures, and the Sanmon and Dharma Hall are Important Cultural Properties. The whole precinct is a national historic site. Higher up the hill is the guardian shrine Hansobo. Fresh green in early summer and autumn colors are especially lovely; mornings are quiet. Allow one and a half to two hours including Hansobo. Admission is JPY 500 for adults and JPY 200 for children, 8:30-16:30. From Kita-Kamakura Station it is about a 15-minute walk. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is about 660 m away, Kotoku-in (Great Buddha) about 2.4 km, and Yuigahama beach about 3 km.
Last updated October 18, 2026