Is a Tokasan temple of the Rinzaishu Kencho-ji Sect, ranked 5th among the 5 great Zen temples of Kamakura. Built in 1188 by Ashikaga Yoshikane, a famous samurai and a chief supporter of Minamoto Yoritomo since 1180 when Minamoto Yoritomo raised an army in Izu Province. The founding priest was Taiko Gyoyu (1163-1241), who was born in Odawara and in 1181 he became a priest and studied Shingon Tantric Buddhism at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Temple. In 1199 he became a disciple to Eisai to study Rinzai Zen. After Eisai´s death, Gyoyu was assigned to Jufuku-ji Temple. He acted as advisor to Yoritomo and his wife Masako.
The temple was originally a Tantric Buddhist temple and it was converted to a Zen temple when Geppo Ryonen, a disciple of Rankei Doryu, the founder of Kencho-ji Temple, became head priest. The name was changed to Jomyo-ji Temple between 1257 and 1259. In 1386 the temple consisted of seven buildings and 23 pagodas but many of them were destroyed by fire.
Main GatePark in front of the Main HallThe main temple building – The Mail Hall—-Wooden statue of Shaka Nyorai = The Historical Buddha from Nanboku-cho Era (1336-1392) – is housed inside the Main Hall and can be observed only from the outside. The massive roof over this main sanctuary creates a dignified atmosphereThere is a cemetery at the back of the temple groundsTomb of Ashikaga Sadauji, who died in 1331 and was the son of Ietoki and the father of Ashikaga Takauji, the founder of Muromachi Era, as when the rule of Ashikaga Takauji begun in 1338, it was the beginning of Muromahi shogunate period of Japan (1338-1573) Wooden sotoba – typical sight at Japanese cemeteriesReception HallMeditation…… and training areaI wonder if this is Kamatari Inari Shrine, which is said to be where the name “Kamakura” is derived from. Inari Shrine is a Shinto shrine to worship the god Inari. Kamatari shrine dates back to the 7th Century. Inari gave young Fujiwara no Kamatari a sickle which magically protected him and he defeated Soga no Iruka. Inari appeared in his dream and told him: “I gave you the sickle to protect you, but now that you have achieved your goal of defeating Iruka, you must give it back to me and to the land.” Kamatari buried the sickle where the shrine carrying his name was erected. The name Kamakura means “the place where Kamatari buried his sickle”Tóró – traditional Japanese lantern made of stone
