Kencho-ji Temple

Information Guide

Kencho-ji Temple, overlooks Kamakura City all the way to Sagami Bay, was established by the 5th regent of Kamakura shogunate Hojo Tokiyori in 1253. The temple is the first Zen training monastery in Japan and ranks among the most important of Kamakura's medieval Zen temples.
The two-storied gate called Sanmon has a quiet dignity. Further along at the end of the path, steep stairs continue up toward the hill behind the temple grounds. Halfway up is Hanso-bo, a shrine dedicated to a Shinto deity that protects the temple. The temple was burnt down several times by fire and earthquake, and the present buildings were reconstructed by Takuan Soho during the Edo Period (1603 – 1868).