Yui Wakamiya Shrine 由比若宮

Official explanation

Yui Wakamiya Shrine is the birthplace of the Hachiman faith in Kamakura. Also known as Moto Hachiman (Original Hachiman), it was established in 1063 by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988–1075), a military commander serving the emperor in Kyoto. In 1051, Yoriyoshi was dispatched to northeastern Japan to subdue rebellious samurai. Before his departure from Kyoto, he prayed to Hachiman, the guardian deity of his clan, to whom the Minamoto traced their ancestry. Yoriyoshi emerged victorious after a 12-year campaign, and on his way back to Kyoto stopped in Kamakura to rest. It was during that sojourn that he founded a shrine to Hachiman to express his gratitude to the deity. More than a century later, Yoriyoshi’s descendant Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) made Kamakura the seat of power for his new warrior-led government. Yoritomo expanded the city, establishing a new Hachiman shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, as its spiritual center. That shrine succeeded Yoriyoshi’s more modest sanctuary, which was retained here in its original location.

Yui Wakamiya is the birthplace of the Hachiman faith in Kamakura. It was established in 1063 by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988–1075), a military commander serving the emperor in Kyoto. In 1051, Yoriyoshi was dispatched to northeastern Japan to subdue rebellious samurai there. Before his departure from Kyoto, he prayed to Hachiman, the guardian deity of his clan, to whom the Minamoto traced their ancestry. Yoriyoshi emerged victorious after a 12-year campaign, and on his way back to Kyoto stopped in Kamakura to rest. It was during that sojourn that he founded Yui Wakamiya to express his gratitude to Hachiman.

Read the full explanation

In 1180, more than a century later, Yoriyoshi’s descendant Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) made Kamakura his base of power, expanding the city and establishing a new Hachiman shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, at its center. Relying on Hachiman to continue watching over the Minamoto, Yoritomo amassed a force against the rival Taira clan, which controlled the court in Kyoto. Yoritomo was victorious in the five-year Genpei War, after which he seized control of Japan and established the country’s first warrior-led government in Kamakura.

Yui Wakamiya still stands on its original site in Zaimokuza, a seaside neighborhood just east of the main approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Also known as Moto Hachiman (Original Hachiman), it serves as a tangible reminder of the considerable role the Minamoto clan played in the history of Kamakura.

Yui Wakamiya is the birthplace of the Hachiman faith in Kamakura. It is located in Zaimokuza, a seaside neighborhood just east of the main approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Also known as Moto Hachiman (Original Hachiman), it was established in 1063 by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988–1075), a military commander serving the emperor in Kyoto, who was dispatched to northeastern Japan in 1051 to subdue rebellious samurai. Before his departure from Kyoto, Yoriyoshi prayed to Hachiman, the guardian deity of his clan, to whom the Minamoto traced their ancestry. Yoriyoshi emerged victorious after a 12-year campaign, and on his way back to Kyoto stopped in Kamakura to rest. During that sojourn, he founded Yui Wakamiya to express his gratitude to Hachiman. More than a century later, Yoriyoshi’s descendant Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) made Kamakura the seat of power for the first shogunate (warrior-led government). Yoritomo expanded the city and established a new Hachiman shrine, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, as its spiritual center. That shrine succeeded Yoriyoshi’s more modest sanctuary, which still stands in its original location.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.