Treasures

Tachi Mei Masatsune | One sword

This is a work from the Kamakura period by Bicchu Aoe Masatsune of the Bicchu Aoe smithing lineage, and has a graceful and dignified appearance with a high waist and a small, taut cutting edge. This is a masterpiece of Bichu Ko-Aoe (the early-period of Aoe history) Masatsune, and is regarded as the best of Ko-Aoe. It is also in extremely good condition. It is said that Bichu Ko-Aoe is well known for the excellence of this sword.
This sword was dedicated to Tusurugaoka Hachimangu when Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate who is famous of his execution of the Kyoho Reforms, carried out repairs to the shrine in Genbun 1 (1736).
Since Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Tokugawa shogunate has repaired the shrine several times, which shows the reverence the successive Tokugawa shoguns had for Hachiman, the guardian deity of the samurai families. Furthermore, the spirit of Minamoto Yoritomo's devotion to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu as the spiritual center of the samurai families and the Tokugawa shoguns inheritance of this spirit can be seen in the Masatsune sword and the other swords.

Black lacquer arrows | Three arrows from a 30 arrow set

One of the ancient Shinto treasures. 13 kabura arrows, 13 pointed arrows, and 4 marune arrows, a total of 30 arrows, which is considered two sets. The feathers on the black lacquer arrows are white with brown and purple spots. They are thought to have been made as a votive offering. As these are arrows are shown in the arrow drawings in the Shuko Jissyu text, the arrow feathers are missing, and are thought to have been repaired later. This is the origin of the Hamaya arrow-shaped amulets given out over the New Year’s period.

Red lacquer bow

It is a two-meter bow made of ebony wood, painted with vermilion lacquer and fitted with gilt-bronze nock points at both ends. The handle has a carved hollow. The Shinpen Sagami no Kuni Fudoki Ko manuscript says: "When Minamoto Yoriyoshi re-enshrined the division of Iwashimizu Hachimangu at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, he dedicated a sacred bow from Iwashimizu Hachimangu to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. There originally were two bows, but one was lost to a fire in Bunka 4 (1807).”

Ikojiji-nihon-hachi, mother-of-pearl inlay | One of two quivers

A yanagui is a quiver which is to be worn around the waist. The outer surface is decorated with kin-ikake jinuri, a Japanese lacquer technique and mother-of-pearl inlay with apricot leaf patterns. The interior was painted in black lacquer and has a structure of 16 thin sheets for storing arrows. The edge of the body has a gilded copper border and holes are made near the edge. The bunting-eye shaped metal rings with gold-plated chrysanthemum-shaped metal fittings are installed on the holes and strings of purple leather are passed through them. The Shinpen Sagami no Kuni Fudoki Ko manuscript says “Both versions of the quiver are made in the same way and can accommodate 15 arrows each. This is a tribute from Yoriyoshi to Tsurgaoka Hachimangu, just like the bow.”

Tachi sword with apricot-leaf inlays of mother-of-pearl on gold sprinkled surface | One of two swords

The sword is generally known as the "Tachi Sword of Efu". The handle is clad in a silver shark-skin-like surface (a thin silver sheet that has been hammered out and textured like shark-skin) with four flower-shaped metal fittings. There are four bale studs on the front and four small cherry blossom studs on the back of the handle. The flower-shaped metal fittings, bale studs and small cherry blossom studs all have a plain-surface finish (with no pattern on them). The obi strap holder, waist belt and hand strap have been supplemented with red leather with a fine white chrysanthemum pattern on it. The scabbard has apricot-leaf inlays made of mother-of-pearl on a gold sprinkled surface. Both the swords are of almost the same size and shape, and their designs and techniques are similar, except that one of them has its handguard and some parts have been supplemented. Neither of the tachi swords are inscribed with the name of the swordmaker. In the Shinpen Sagami no Kuni Fudoki Ko manuscript, it is written that the two tachi swords are Efu (imperial guard) swords, and have been worn by Minamoto Yoritomo.

Kami clothing (Uchiki) | Five sets

A total of five sets: double-weave with phoenix design on a white mallow background; fine-weave with three circles with two cranes facing each other in each on a purple background (two sets); twill-weave with spread rhombus pattern on a pale orange background; and double-weave with bird nest on haze design on a yellow background. According to shrine legend, the Emperor Go-Shirakawa offered the garments to the kami, or the Emeritus Emperor Kameyama prayed for the peace and tranquility of the nation with these garments when he was attacked by Mongolia. These garments are about 20% larger than the usual size of ordinary clothes because they are a sacred treasure of the kami. In particular, the "double-weave with phoenix design on a white mallow background" is an outer garment that was elaborately tailored, making it one of the most valuable pieces of clothing in existence.

Writing Box with fence and chrysanthemum maki-e and mother-of-pearl inlay | One set

According to shrine legend, Minamoto Yoritomo was given the box as a gift by the Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa and dedicated it to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. The outer surface of the cover is finished with inlays of a fence, chrysanthemum flowers and birds, and is sprinkled with gold powder. The body and the inner surface of the cover are decorated with the same design of a pear- skin-like grainy background using a simple technique called togidashi maki-e (gold-inked lacquerware). Inside, the center of the box has a square-shaped silver-plated water kettle with a spout, and an inkstone. And on the sides are shallow partition boxes with silver edges.
All the edges of the box and cover have silver edges as well. Judging from the above, this is a representative example of maki-e lacquerware with mother-of-pearl inlays from the early Kamakura period, and is valuable as one of the few inkstone boxes available.

Bodhisattva Mask | One mask

This mask was used in ancient times for Buddhist events such as raigo-e and for a bugaku performance called bosatsu. The bodhisattva mask at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu was assumed to have been used for bugaku, but today it is unclear if it was for bugaku or a buddhist events since bugaku went into decline around the time that the mask is from.
The mask is thought to have been made in the early Kamakura period and was given to Minamoto Yoritomo as a gift from Tamukeyama Hachimangu when he attended a ceremony related to the Great Buddha of Todaiji. It is made of Japanese cypress wood which is coated with black lacquer and gold paint. The crown is also coated with gold paint, the hair is painted greenish-blue and the lips are painted in vermilion. The mask's stern, tightly proportioned face is filled with dignity, and its style is similar to that of some of the best Bodhisattvas statues of the period. According to the Shuko Jissyu, there were originally twelve masks, but the majority were lost in fires and other incidents and only one of them remains today.

Bugaku Masks | Five masks

A bugaku mask is a mask that is worn on the face while dancing to gagaku music.
The history of bugaku in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is long, and descriptions of it can be found in the Azuma Kagami, Tsurugaoka Social Records, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Service Instructions. According to these records, yabusame (horseback archery), bugaku and sumo were performed at the first puja (Buddhist memorial service) held at Tsurugaoka-Wakamiya on March 3, 1189, which Minamoto Yoritomo attended.
In the beginning, bugaku was performed by children from Izu-yama and Hakone, and in 1193, dedicated children were officially trained to perform the dance, and some apprentices from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and sons of imperial samurai were chosen as participants.
Around this time, the gakusho (bugaku department) was established at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, and from then on, full-scale bugaku performances were often performed by the musicians from the department. The ryouou mask was used for a performance called ryouou, the kitoku koiguchi mask and kitoku banzu mask for a performance called kitoku, the ninomai emi mask for a performance called emi, and the sanju mask for a performance called sanju. These masks are all stored at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and are a reminder of the state of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in those days, when bugaku was very popular. Nowadays, bugaku is performed by the Tokyo Gakusho once a year on May 5th, on the day of the Boys' Festival.

Wooden Seated Sarasvati (Benzaiten) | One statue

Statues of Benzaiten (Sarasvati) differ slightly in terms of appearance and characteristics. The statue of Benzaiten (Sarasvati) at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is carved wearing a loincloth, and sitting with both legs laid on the same side, wearing a real costume and playing the biwa (Japanese lute). The statue is made of marquetry and is extremely realistic, expressing dignity and profoundness with a feminine richness.
The inscription on the back of the right leg says, "September 29th, the day of the tiger, 3rd year of Bun'ei 3 (1266) / Dedicated and stored at Bugaku-in / Chief petitioner Nakahara Mitsuuji, general inspector”.
Nakahara Mitsuuji was a bugaku musician who belonged to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu gakusho, and his high level of skill is described in Azuma Kagami. This statue was made when Mitsuuji was 49 years old.

Tachi Mei Nagamitsu | One sword

The tachi swords dedicated by the Tokugawa shoguns to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu are the national treasures: the Masatsune Tachi Sword dedicated by the 8th shogun the Yoshimune, Nagamitsu Tachi Sword dedicated by the 9th shogun Ieshige, the Kunimura Tachi Sword dedicated by the 10th shogun Ieharu, and the Bizen-ju Harima Daisakan Fujiwara Tadakuni Tachi Sword dedicated by the 11th shogun Ieharu. The sword’s mountings have metal fittings in a crow-like black color with a fish-roe-like grainy surface and gold chrysanthemums carved out, and the scabbard has maki-e gold lacquered chrysanthemums on grainy pear-skin-like background and is wrapped in magnificent string.
The works of Nagamitsu, son of Bizen Osafune Mitsutada, have long been renowned as famous swords, and many warlords loved to use them. Our Nagamitsu Tachi Sword has also been designated as an important cultural property. The sword has not only beauty but also utility, showing off its sturdiness and robustness with a beautiful forging of the earthen metal and a layered flower pattern on it.
According to the shrine's history, on September 17 in 1753 when the shrine was restored, Abe Iyonomori Masasuke came to the shrine to pay a visit on behalf of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieshige and dedicated the sword to the shrine.

Tachi Mei Kuniyoshi | One sword

The name Kuniyoshi was inscribed by the sword connoisseur after the sword was sharpened and its original name was polished off. The blade is fairly wide, made of a strong ground iron, and has a wood-surface-like pattern with nie fine particles on it which makes it slightly white. The blade design is a medium straight edge with a pattern of bulges in line, and has double layers with some lines like tree branches and shiny gold lines. The middle part of the top of the blade rises straight up and makes a slight curve (known as komaru boshi).
From the early to mid-Kamakura period, swordsmiths of the Yamashiro-Awataguchi were renowned for their skill. Awataguchi Kuniyoshi was given a position called “Sahyoe no Jo” by the Emperor and his younger brother is the famous Awataguchi “Toshiro” Yoshimitsu.
There are few surviving examples of tachi or dagger swords by Kuniyoshi, and his style often consists of a double-layer interlaced blade with a fine particle pattern. This sword was donated by Emperor Meiji, and its mountings have metal fittings in a crow-like black color with a fish-roe-like grainy surface and gold chrysanthemums carved out, and its scabbard has maki-e gold lacquered chrysanthemums on grainy pear-skin-like background and is wrapped in magnificent string.

Hojo Ujitsuna Dedication Tachi Swords | 3 swords

The three Tachi swords dedicated by Hojo Ujitsuna in 1538 have paulownia and phoenix patterns in maki-e gold lacquer on a black background. The swords have the inscriptions of "Dedication to Hachimangu Treasure Hall, Hojo Ujitsuna, August 2, Tenbun 7 (1538), People’s satisfaction by fulfillment of wishes", and "By Tsunahiro from So-shu", "By Tsunaie" and “By Yasukuni” on each. The author is also inscribed as "Kangokusaku".
The swords were dedicated by Hojo Ujitsuna, and there were three swordsmiths. Technically, Tsunahiro, who was in charge of blacksmithing in So-shu (present-day Kanagawa Prefecture) at the time, was ordered to make the sword, and Tsunaie and Yasukuni worked together with Tsunahiro to make it. Tsunahiro was originally named Masahiro, but changed his name to Tsunahiro using one of the characters of the word Ujitsuna, which was to him given as a reward for his contribution of the Tachi swords.
Ujitsuna was a member of the Go-Hojo clan (whose real name was Ise) and was the son of the first Soun. The Go-Hojo clan was based in Odawara during the Warring States period, and ruled the southern part of the Kanto region during the reign of Ujitsuna.
Ujitsuna worked diligently not only on the dedication of swords, but also on the construction of shrines. In the first article of the Imperial Rules text of the Hojo regency, there is a clause that states, "Shrines should be repaired and rituals should be carried out exclusively", which was a policy inherited by Minamoto Yoritomo and handed down over time to Ujitsuna.
The construction of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu took about eight years, from 1532 to 1540, and Ujitsuna died in 1541, a year after the shrine was completed. Ujitsuna's spirit of reverence for the kami and Buddha was passed on to his son Ujiyasu, and many of the shrines and temples were subsequently repaired and rebuilt. This was also the golden age of the Go-Hojo clan.

Prospectus for the Repair of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, calligraphy on paper | One document

This map is a plan for the renovation and repair of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
It has Katagiri Katsumoto's signature on the upper right, the inscription of “Yamanaka Kichinai” and his signature on the lower right, and " May 14, Tensho 19 (1591), Lieutenant Mashita Nagamori” and his signature on the lower left.
The So-shu document contains a letter of shuinjou (red seal) written by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. As it is dated the same as the prospectus it was probably the counterpart to the drawing. This shuinjou is a notification to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu priests by Hideyoshi that he had ordered Tokugawa Ieyasu to repair Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
After Hideyoshi defeated Odawara under the rule of the Hojo clan, he headed north in order to pacify the region of Oshu. On the way, he stopped by Kamakura on July 17, 1590. It was then that he decided to repair Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and promised the shrine and other officials that he would do so, and the following year he ordered Tokugawa Ieyasu to start repairs. This drawing shows the following information.
[Renovations]
Akahashi, Uchi Torii, Bell Tower, West Torii, Ebisu-sha, Daikoku-sha, West Ishibashi
[Repairs]
Minami-Daimon, Wakamiya Honden, Hei-den, Worship Hall, Matsudau-sha, Tenjin-sha, Jogu Honden, Hei-den, Worship Hall, Jogu corridor, etc.
From the contents of this drawing, it can be assumed that the work on the shrine was mainly for repairs. As the Gegu corridor is shown in the map, the state of the shrine should date back to the end of the Middle Ages. The map is a valuable historical document that captures the Kamakura period of the shrine.
The remains of the corridor were discovered in the excavation conducted in 1979 and 1980 as part of a project conducted for the 800th anniversary of the founding of the shrine.
A model of the shrine shown in the drawing can be seen in the Tsurugaoka Bunko.

Tsurugaoka Social Records, calligraphy on paper | Two volumes

There are several historical documents such as Azuma Kagami that describe the situation of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in the Middle Ages. Tsurugaoka Social Records and Ancient Document of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu are the official documents retained by Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
The Tsurugaoka Social Records is a 165-year record of the successive generations of officials who served Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, and consists of two volumes, A and B. The record of the first year and 46 years of articles are missing.
Volume A covers the entire Kamakura period, from the middle of March 3, 1191, during the tenure of Engyo, the first betto, the official in charge of the company, to June 20, 1336, during the tenure of the 18th betto Kakujo. The content of the articles includes not only previous records of successive bettos, the date they were assigned as betto, the period of service, promotion history, the maintenance of shrine buildings, the annual and irregular Buddhist and Shinto rituals, spiritual incidents, and shrine visits by the shogun and his regent, but also articles that show the political aspects of the Kamakura shogunate, the state of the city of Kamakura, and information regarding disasters, etc. It is interesting that it also has articles which can be found only in this record.
Volume B covers the period from June 20, 1336 to the middle of April 1, 1355, and contains the traces of the tenure of the 19th Yorinaka. The content of this volume is much more detailed than Volume A. The tense situation at the shrine during the tumultuous period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties is vividly depicted, including a story of fifty villains breaking into the shrine to seize sacred treasures and engaging in a fierce battle with those working on duty that night.
These two documents are valuable for learning about Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in the Kamakura period as well as the people of that time period and the state of the town.

Series of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Documents, Total 15 documents | 224 pieces

This series contains documents such as the Kanto Migyo-sho, Minamoto Yoritomo’s donation letter and Ashikaga Mochiuji's letter of blood, and is valuable for conveying the changes in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu during the Middle Ages, the beliefs of the Kamakura shogunate, the Kanto family, and the Go-Hojo clan, and the relationship between these parties.
It was designated as a cultural property of the prefecture in 1961 and became a national important cultural property in 1983. This series also includes the five-volume text, Documents of Soshouin, which was handed down to Soshouin, one of the monasteries at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
These documents are now preserved in scrolls. Most of them are written in ink on paper, but only one, Ashikaga Mochiuji's letter of blood, dated March 18, 1434, was written with his own blood mixed in ink.
The Series of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu contains many letters of donation, such as the one dated February 27, 1183, from Minamoto Yoritomo, to pray for the fulfillment of wishes and express gratitude to the kami. From those letters, one can ascertain that Tsurugaoka Hachimangu was a place of great faith during the Kamakura period and beyond.
Also, documents related to the taboos in the precincts of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu are valuable historical materials that give us an idea of the situation at that time.
The Documents of Soshouin was called Tongaku-bo, and Soshuin was one of the 25 monasteries of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu that continued until the Edo period. The documents went missing after the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism policy in Meiji era, but was discovered again and ended up at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. One of the characteristics of the documents is that the letters of transfer and letters of appointment for priests remain in a good condition.
These documents are included in the Shinpen So-shu Ancient Documents (1944), Kamakura City History, Vol. 1 (1958), Revised Edition of the Shinpen So-shu Ancient Documents, Vol. 2 (1966), and Kanagawa Prefecture History, Vol. 1-3 (1970-1979), and are also included in the Tsurugaoka Series, Vol. 3, "Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Archive Collection" (1980), with photocopies and explanations.

Jogu (Main Shrine) and Gegu (Wakamiya)

The Main Shrine sits halfway up Mt. Daijin and Wakamiya at the foot of it. Seen from the Ichinotorii Gate at Yuigahama beach, the composition and layout of the buildings such as the red lacquer and copper roof show the beauty of the dignified old days of Kamakura.
When Tsurugaoka Hachimangu was built, it was called Tsurugaoka Wakamiya. In 1180, Minamoto Yoritomo took a sacred fortune lot (omikuji) from Tsurugaoka Shrine in Yui-go. After which he relocated the shrine to its present location (Kitayama, Kobayashi-sato), where it is revered as the guardian deity of the Minamoto clan and as the general protector of the Kanto region.
In March of 1191, a fire broke out in a townhouse and destroyed the shrine building. Minamoto Yoritomo immediately re-shaped the hillside of Mt. Daijin and built the Main Shrine and the Wakamiya where the burned-down building was. After that, the shrine suffered from fire and other damages, but it was successfully rebuilt thanks to the reverence of successive samurai governments. In particular, the repairs and rebuilding by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada are noteworthy. The Kanto region entered the modern era with the opening of Odawara Castle in 1590, and Hideyoshi immediately ordered Ieyasu to repair and rebuild Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. The instructions for that time are in the Prospectus for the Repair of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (Important Cultural Property), which is in the possession of the shrine. According to the plan, the Wakamiya is depicted in its present location, and the interior of the Main Shrine is divided into two sections, the inner and outer sections, in the Sangen-sha style. After repairing the Wakamiya in 1592, Ieyasu planned to rebuild the entire Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, and Hidetada took over this task. On November 15, 1624, the rebuilding was completed and a kami relocation ceremony to the Main shrine and Wakamiya was held (Kan-ei no Go-zouei). It was a prestige-staking project of the Edo shogunate, and a splendor similar to that of Nikko Toshogu was created here.
With the coming of the Edo period, construction techniques became more advanced and the kiwari method (calculation of architectural measurements based on construction materials) was established, and large-scale shrine buildings were built. The gongen-zukuri style, which consisted of a main hall, a hai-den and a hall of worship connected with each other and sharing a main ceiling beam, became the major type of building, the Wakamiya was changed to the gongen-zukuri style with 5-Ken (6 pillars) and after the Kan-ei no Go-zouei ceremony was held. Unfortunately, the Main Shrine was destroyed by fire in 1821, but it was rebuilt in 1828 by the 11th Shogun, Ienari, in the Gongen-zukuri style, with 9-Ken (10 pillars).

Takeuchi Shrine

After passing through the tower gate and advancing to the back on the left, Takeuchi Shrine sits as if leaning on the Main Shrine.
The shrine's deity is Takeuchi Sukune no Mikoto. He is known as a dedicated vassal of Empress Jingu and a deity of longevity. He was a meritorious retainer who served over five dynasties (Keiko, Seimu, Nakai, Ojin and Nintoku). In the Emperor Keiko's article in the Nihon Shoki it is said that when the New Year's feast lasted for days, he severely rebuked the Hundred Lords for playing around and neglecting the affairs of the state, and was praised as a "vassal of critical importance" and appointed as the first minister in Japan.
Takeuchi Sukune no Mikoto is regarded as a pillar of the state and has several subordinate shrines at Usa Jingu and Iwashimizu Hachimangu. He is enshrined in the sessha located by the west side of Iwashimizu Hachimangu’s main shrine as Priest Gyokyo, who made a plea to the Imperial Court to invite Usa Jingu to Otokoyama; and also as an ancestral kami of the Ki clan, who served as the Shinto priests from generation to generation. Although Takeuchi Shrine is a subordinate shrine at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the layout of the shrine buildings has been retained.
According to the Tsurugaoka Social Records, the Takeuchi Shrine was relocated on October 27, 1226, together with Hachiman Sanjo, but in fact, it is thought that the Takeuchi Shrine was moved in the Main Shrine, when the Main Shrine and Wakamiya were restored after being destroyed by a fire in Kamakura in 1191, and the kami of the Iwashimizu Hachimangu was welcomed back to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
The present building, which was reconstructed together with the Main Shrine in 1828, is a 2 pillar structure with a wooden door with a shaft, wooden plank floor with railings around the shrine body, and wooden stairs with railings with decorative pillars on the front. Both the main body and the eaves are supported with three-pronged pillars, with a central carving as reinforcement, and rainbow-like curved beams and wooden roof decorations. The roof is now a copper plate roof. Like the Main Shrine, the shaft and eaves are painted with vermilion lacquer, the doors and other fittings are painted with black lacquer, and the outer walls have a painting of young pine trees. The carvings are intensely colored, and gold metal fixtures are used for both decoration and reinforcement. It was designated as a national important cultural property in July 1996, together with the Main Shrine and the corridor.

Maruyama Inari Shrine

Maruyama Inari Shrine is located on Maruyama Hill in the western part of the Main Shrine. According to the Shinpan Kamakura-shi (a new edition of the Kamakura Book of Records), "At the site of the Main Shrine, there was a shrine of Inari at first, and in the year of Kenkyuu, the kami of Minamoto Yoritomo was moved to this mountain and the current Main Shrine was built". Therefore, the Maruyama Shrine has a longer history than the Main Shrine. The current shrine building is of the mid-Muromachi period and is thought to be the oldest building in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
The architectural style is 1-Ken (2 pillars) with exposed kami and the distance between pillars is 1-Ken (Approximate 1.8m) in both width and depth. It has a gable roof with eaves overhanging, and the porch is slightly shorter than the eaves. The front door was made of axial planks, horizontal planks are installed on three sides of the walls, and lattices are under the floor on four sides. The style is purely Japanese without kibana or eyo kurigata (wooden decorative carvings attached to a pilar), except that it has triangular reinforcement panels under the porch which were added later. Although some later modifications were made to the building, it is still a very important building.
While it is one of the smaller subordinate shrines of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the building is a pure and authentic medieval Japanese style structure that was carefully constructed.
The shrine's festivities include the Hatsuuma-sai in February, the Maruyama-inarisha-reisai (Annual Festival) in April, and the Hitaki-sai (Fire Burning Festival) in November. During the Fire Burning Festival, a traditional Kamakura Kagura dance (a city-designated intangible cultural asset) is performed in front of the kami by the shrine's priests. Kagura has long been worshipped by the shrine’s parishioners by praying to the yudate (hot water) for good crops and purifying the body using the hot water.
Many people from near and far visit the shrine for the various rituals. Among them, the Maruyama Inari Ko is organized, and many prayer flags are dedicated to pray for blessings.

Ichinotorii (Great Gate)

The Ichinotorii is the main torii standing closest to the beach on Wakamiya Oji street, the approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. It is made of granite and is 8.5 meters high and the pillars have a diameter of 92 centimeters.
It is also called the Great Gate of the Beach, and its construction dates back to the era of Minamoto Yoritomo. After that, it was rebuilt several times, and the present gate was built in 1668 (Kanbun 8). It had been built of wood, but at this time it was changed to stone. It was destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake, but was restored with some new materials in the early Showa period. On the old part of the east pillar, there is an inscription "August 15, Day of the Monkey, Kanbun 8, re-establishment of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.”
There is an interesting story about the construction of this torii gate. When Sugen-in, wife of Hidetada, the second Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, became pregnant with the son Iemitsu, she prayed to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu for a safe delivery, and with his blessing, the baby was safely delivered. One day, she was inspired by a message in her dream from Hachiman kami that there is a strange stone in Inujima, Bizen Province, and that the large torii gate in front of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu should be built with that stone. So, she asked Iemitsu to carry out the project at the next period of construction at the shrine and after that she passed away. This was fulfilled during the reign of Iemitsu's son Ietsuna. For the last 300 years, the Otorii (Great Gate), which was built with such deep faith, has been towering over the shrine.
The water bowl in front of the shrine office (dedicated to the construction director at the time, Matsudaira Tsunataka) is also said to have been made in stone during this period and was transported from Bizen Inujima.

Lion-shaped Sumi Urn

The carving treasures made in Kamakura-bori style housed in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu include a large incense container with chrysanthemum arabesque design, a bowl with peony design, and a bowl with maple-leaf motifs in flowing water, and among them, there is a rare sumi urn, which is designated as a cultural asset (folk material) of Kanagawa Prefecture.
A Sumi urn is a tool used by carpenters to draw straight lines. The head and body of this work are carved from a single piece of wood with a pattern of peony flowers and hemp leaves on both sides, with a open area for a spool of thread, and a hole in the top of the head where a heart-shaped ink pond is placed. The thread with ink comes out of the mouth. The eyes are ball-shaped, with a metal round-headed nail holding the ball in place and the nail head serving as the pupil. After painting the whole body with black lacquer, the head, body, and peonies were covered with red lacquer, and the leaves and branches are said to have been painted with green and yellow lacquer. It can be considered to have been made by a builder at the time of construction of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and later provided as a votive offering to the shrine.
The origins of Kamakura-bori carving are not known for certain, but legend has it that the first Kamakura-bori item was carved in Hokke-do by Chin Na-Kei, a Chinese warrior known to have advised the third shogun, Minamoto Sanetomo, to travel to Song Dynasty China, and Koen, the grandson of the Buddhist statue artist Unkei. Although the name Kamakura-bori was officially first seen in the literature in the early modern era, there is are referential phrases found in the diary of Lord Sanjonishi Sanetaka of the Muromachi Period (1336-1573): "a piece of dyed red tray Kamakura-mono", "a tray with incense container Kamakura-mono" and "Ibon tray Kamakura-mono”. Since the word Kamakura-bori appears on the list of offerings to the Imperial Court and the Imperial Household, it is assumed that they were already highly valued as craftwork in the Muromachi period.

Giboshi Copper Decoration with a Tortoise Shell and Flower Inlay | One set

This giboshi is said to have been attached to the railing when Tsurugaoka Hachimangu was rebuilt in 1281.
Also the nail concealments, nails, stud fittings, railing ornaments and rafters are also said to have been made from the copper at the same time. The giboshi is splendidly carved with tortoise shell and flowering patterns in silver.
According to the Tsurugaoka Social Records, after the shrine was destroyed by fire on November 14, 1280, it was rebuilt the following year and the Muneage-Matsuri (beam-raising ritual) was held on April 26. The construction of the building was completed on November 29th of the same year, and the Shosengu Festival was held. This giboshi is thought to have been installed at that time. It is a reminder of the Kamakura period.

Pure Black Box | One Piece

This work is called "carving lacquer", a craft in which several layers of lacquer are applied to wooden surfaces and patterns are carved on them. Depending of the finish color, they are distinguished as Pure Vermilion, Pure Black and Pure Yellow.
This work is a Pure Black in a square shape with large, chamfered edges on the lid and legs at the four corners. The lid and body are made so they are flush with each other when the lid is closed and the bottom of the body is made of bamboo stitching.
The top side of the lid is decorated with a stylized character “celebration” in the middle, and four auspicious characters around it with the combined meaning of “long life and riches in honor”, four auspicious symbols in between the characters, and a pattern with scrolls and swastika symbols are the on the edges of the lid. The chamfered sides and four sides of the lid are adroitly carved with chrysanthemum flowers, leaves, and four-legged beasts as well as ruyi-shaped clouds and trees.
The upper part of the lid, the lower edges of the body, and the hollows under the legs are decorated with vermilion lacquer, which, combined with the black coloring, must have made it a brilliant work of art when it was made. Many works in Pure Vermilion and Pure Black, which came from China, have been handed down to Japan, but it is rare to find artifacts with such a large representation of auspicious characters and patterns. The bottom of the box has inscriptions in red lacquer that indicate that it was a gift from a government official from China named Hong Zhou to monk Myoan Eisai, the founder of the Rinzai style of Buddhism in Japan, in 1190. It was during the second trip of Myoan to China, from 1187 to 1191, and the first year of the Meisho era was the year before his return to Japan. The gift to Myoan was passed on to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu at some point in time and was handed down thereafter. The purpose of the box is unknown, but the shrine says it was used as a food box (a container for food).

Mikoshi | Seven units

Mikoshi means a portable shrine dedicated to the spirit and body of a deity. They have been used as an important ritual implement since ancient times.
There are seven portable shrines in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, three of which were built from the Momoyama period to the early Edo period for the Main Shrine, and four of which are for Wakamiya, and they have been designated as cultural assets of Kanagawa Prefecture.
The Construction of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and the Records of the Construction of the Shogun's Palace states, "From the start until the third year of the Kan-ei, the Main Shrine, Wakamiya and various halls and shrines, as well as the tools, ritual implements, and mikoshi were built.” As the dragon decoration on top of the Wakamiya mikoshi has an inscription saying “November 3, 1624”, the mikoshi are considered to have been built in the early Kan-ei era. The shape of the mikoshi for Wakamiya is slightly smaller than those for the Main Shrine, but the form is generally the same.
In 1821, a fire broke out in Okiishi-cho, Yukinoshita-mura and largely destroyed the Main Shrine but the mikoshi were moved from the back of the corridor to Eishouji Temple just before the fire and survived.
These seven mikoshi are stored safely in the west corridor in front of the Treasure Hall. The three mikoshi with the phoenix, pearl and chrysanthemum on their tops, are carried by shrine parishioners in eboshi hats and white ceremonial costume at the Shinkosai on September 15, and are paraded in a procession of royal objects such as flags, lanterns, drums, shields, spears, arrows and swords to the second torii gate of the shrine where Otabisho-sai is held, and then are returned back to the Main Shrine again.

Wooden Sumiyoshi Kami Statue | One statue

Sumiyoshi kami is the deity of more than 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan, including the Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City. Since ancient times, it has been said to have sacred virtues of purification, national protection and maritime safety. Nautical protection is a central part of the Sumiyoshi faith, and it was customary for the Japanese envoys and others traveling to the continent to pray to Sumiyoshi kami for their safety before they left. He was also revered as one of the three deity of waka poetry and as a deity of song.
The statue of the Sumiyoshi kami in the collection of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is a Chinese figure of a Taoist hermit (a hermit who possessed divine powers), and is depicted as a bearded old man sitting on a stool with a robe, hood and shoes. The statue is thought to have held a fan in his right hand and a staff in his left, although these belongings are now missing.
It is the oldest known wooden statue of the Sumiyoshi deity in Chinese Taoist style, influenced by Song and Yuan cultures when Japan was in the late Kamakura period. This is a valuable statue of the kami which is estimated to have been created at the beginning of the Nanbokucho period, the first half of the 14th century.
According to the Shinpen Sagami no Kuni Fudoki Ko, the statue was originally enshrined at Sumiyoshi Shrine in Iijima, Kozubo, Zushiu-shi, and it appears that, "the body of the kami was moved to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu first and a shiranigite (a sacred wooden stick with paper decoration attached) is stored at this shrine (Sumiyoshi Shrine) as a temporary body of the kami.” In modern times, the statue was offered to Shirahata Shrine, which enshrines Minamoto Yoritomo, as one of the subsidiary shrines of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
The Sumiyoshi Shrine is the guardian shrine of Sumiyoshi Castle, which was built by the Miura clan. This statue may have been created and enshrined as a guardian deity of the sea in the vicinity of Wakae Island.

Shin-Sen Tsukuba-shu Collection | Two volumes

In 1495, some 130 years after the Imperial compilation of the renga poem collection, the Tsukuba-shu Collection was compiled, a new version, the Shin-Sen Tsukuba-shu Collection is said to have been edited by Sogi in response to the strong desire for such a collection.
The 20-volume Shin-Sen Tsukuba-shu Collection, consisting of six volumes of the four seasons, three volumes of love, and five volumes of miscellaneous poems, has the same basic structure as the old version, but the difference is that the Muromachi shogunate was weakened and lacked the ability to proceed with the compilation, so it received assistance from the powerful feudal lord Ouchi Masahiro. Kensai, Shohaku, Socho and others participated in the compilation process.
The manuscript in our collection is one of the most important of the Shin-Sen Tsukuba-shu Collection, which is blessed with a relatively large number of old and good copies. It is commonly referred to as the Kamakura Hachimangu Tsurugaoka manuscript, which was based on the Mikanagi manuscript (Tenri Library), and was revised and supplemented with a copy of the Kunitaka manuscript (Tenri Library), and is thought to have been copied around 1526. The authenticity of the calligraphy is unknown, although there is a tag attributing the handwriting to No-ami.
Both the volumes lack the title on the front cover, while the pictures on the first two pages have pictures of clouds painted using gold particles. The front covers have a cherry blossom pattern, the book is bound with strings, the paper type is called hishi, and they some minor repairs have been performed. 20.5cm x 15.7cm, written in ink on paper. Designated as a cultural asset of Kamakura City in April 1974.

Keman, Buddhism Wooden Ornament with Paulownia, Bamboo and Phoenix | One set

It is said that originally, in India, it was a custom to string flowers and offer them to a nobleman as an ornamental accessory, which later became a solemn accessory to decorate the temple.
This ornament is believed to have been a solemn accessory dedicated to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu during the Shinto-Buddhist syncretism period, and is slightly different in form and design from the traditional keman for temples. The outline is like a round hand fan made of wooden tubes in the style of bamboo and the middle is decorated with a cut-out paulownia tree and two phoenix facing each other. The base wood is covered with fabric, painted in black lacquer and colored with ultramarine and vermilion paint, as well as gold and silver foils.
The upper centerpiece is gilt-bronze hanger fittings with floral arabesque patterns carved in thin hair-like lines. At the bottom is a gilt-bronze plate with jewel-like necklaces attached. Originally there must have been three of these, but now there are only two left. While the sides bear a paulownia pattern, the centerpiece is a bell.
The date of manufacture is not clear, but there is a theory that it was made between the late Muromachi and the Momoyama periods.

Kakebotoke Decorated Mirror of Yakushi Nyorai Buddha in bronze | One piece

In the early Heian period, influenced by the idea of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, carving on mirrors, using the figures of gods and Sanskrit characters, appeared. In addition to that, if a Buddha statue and sacred equipment are also attached, it is called kakebotoke.
The kakebotoke housed at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu has the Yakushi Nyorai, an exalted statue, with a boat-shaped halo with cut-out cloud pattern and the base is made of wood with a sheet metal lotus flower pattern attached. Underneath, the wooden cylindrical base is covered with sheet metal and engraved with lotus petals in intaglio. The lower part of the stand is an overhanging base in the shape of a lagoon that is also covered with a sheet metal and decorated with an ocean wave pattern. The counter has 6 containers for offerings, and a flower vase is attached on each side.
The contour of the mirror surface is ornamented with a vajra (a ritual weapon) and flowers, and on the upper left and right shoulders, although partly missing, there are carvings of oni (demon) masks with rings attached. This is a work of remarkable skill.
On the wood of the back of the mirror, there is an inscription in calligraphy ink:
June
First year of Bun-an era
□7 days □□□□□
1444
It is a valuable cultural asset as a relic of the Muromachi period (1336-1573) that has been handed down in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.

Sutra Box | One box

This sutra box is a remnant of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. It is one of the boxes that stored the 5,428 volumes of the original Daizo-kyo Sutra, which were stored in the shrine's sutra collection before the separation of Shinto and Buddhism during the Meiji era. It is a simple, old-fashioned sutra box, 46.2 cm long, 37 cm wide, and 36.9 cm high, featuring a black lacquer coating and a gilt-bronze lotus-petal bracket at the center of the side of the body as the only decoration. It is said to have been made in the Muromachi period.
The original version of the Daizo-kyo Sutra was brought to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa during the confusing period of separation of Buddhism and Shintoism, and has been designated an important national cultural property. On the other hand, the sutra box was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Kamakura City in 1973, but it was repaired in 1994 because it was badly damaged. The repair work included fixing loose joints and preventing the lacquer from falling off, which in detail was strengthening the base material using chemicals, jointing back using lacquer and synthetic resins, and making the repairs appear authentic. The whole process took 3 months. The synthetic resins used were those specified by the Center of Conservation Science of Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and various types of lacquer were used, such as wheat lacquer, cowpea lacquer, and rusty lacquer, depending on the location and process.

Map of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Precincts | 1 document

This is a work from the Edo period (1603-1868) in color on paper. Painted in 1732, it is a valuable drawing of the precincts of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, showing the state of the precincts before the Meiji era (before the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism). It is an excellent example of the various shrines and halls that were rebuilt by the order of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada between 1624 and 1626.

Washbasin

In the early Edo period, the wife of Hidetada, the second shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate, had a dream that the Otorii (Great Gate) should be built with stones from Inujima, the country of Bizen. The Otorii was erected by the 4th Shogun Ietsuna in 1688 (the present Ichinotorii Gate).
It is said that Matsudaira Tsunataka, who was the magistrate at that time, chose particularly large rocks from Inujima, the same type of stone as the Otorii, and donated this basin to the shrine prior to the construction of the Otorii.
The bowl is made of granite, 93 cm tall and 199 cm long and 102 cm wide at the top, and the legs are carved from a single piece of rock. Although there are wedge marks from the quarrying process, it is an excellent piece of work from the early Edo period with a simple yet massive form that tells the history of its cultivation in the Kan-ei era. It is also a cultural asset that visitors can come into close contact with.