It was a spur of the moment decision to visit this place and
I am glad that I made it.
Kamakura lends its name to a historical period of Japan.
During this time the capital was centered in the city and shogunate rule started. This
period was the beginnings of samurai culture and feudalism in Japan. It is also
known for the flourishing and establishment of new Buddhist sects, that rose up
during this period of disunity.
The city is also very well known for it’s Shinto shrines and
Buddhist temples. The most iconic and famous being the sitting Amida Buddha
statue.
This statue is the reason that I chose coming to Kamakura.
It is one of the largest icons of Amida Buddha and one of the most well known
images of Japan. The statue is 13.35m and weighs 121 tonnes, it is also hollow
inside so you can go in and just stand inside this gigantic statue.
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| Inside the statue |
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| Amida's sandals |
The statue was initially constructed around 1252 – during
the Kamakura period. It and the temple that it used to be housed in are part of
the Jodo-shu sect of Buddhism. As for the temple hall that used to house this
Buddha it was destroyed three times, and after the 3rd destruction
in 1498 by a tsunami the statue has sat in the open air.
From seeing the statue it was a quick walk to Hasedera
temple, a temple dedicated to Kannon – who is a bodhisattva and known to be one
of mercy. It is believed that Kannon can hear everybody’s thoughts and wishes
and carry them out; that is why it has 11 faces to heed all peoples wishes.
I also bought my first ever fortune. The thing is I got a
bad fortune, that is why I tied it up and left it at the temple. Leaving it
shows that you are not taking the bad fortune with you.
According to a legend there once was a tree in Nara, Japan
that was so large two full statues of Kannon could be carved out of it. The
smaller of the two once completed was enshrined in Hasedera Temple of Nara and the
larger one thrown out to sea with a prayer that it return to save the people.
15 years later it is said to have washed up on the shores near Kamakura and a
temple was built to enshrine it.
Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take photos of the giant
gold statue, but I can describe it. The statue stands at just over 9m and is
covered in gold. On top of the head of the statue are the 11 other faces of
Kannon. It also holds a tin cane representative of the Bodhisattva Jizo.
After seeing the statue of Kannon, we went into a cave where
Kobo Daishi was rumored to have carved a statue when being influenced and
inspired by Buddha.
Then it was down to the hall of Jizo. This hall holds the
image of “Happy” Jizo and is surrounded by miniature statues of Jizo. These
statues can sometimes have red bibs or trinkets. These statues are meant to
comfort the souls of unborn children – most images of Jizo are for this
purpose.
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| The beach |
After a long day of seeing the sites of Kamakura it was back
to Tokyo. We decided to go to Shibuya for dinner. This is one of the main
shopping areas in Tokyo.
What it’s known for is it’s main pedestrian crossing, which
allows people to flood the street as they make their way across. This is the
second time I have been to this crossing. The first was in 2009 when I went to
Shibuya to get a tattoo.
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| The Colonel dressed as Santa at KFC |
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| Motorcycle Santa |
Christmas Eve was spent as a busy and tiring day!
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