Dust to dust, ashes to ashes—a brief seven years after becoming shogun (military ruler of Japan), Yoritomo Minamoto's reign ended. Yoritomo, first shogun of the Minamoto clan, router of myriad armies, the man who brought in a dual system of government (all-powerful shogun and symbol-only emperor) that lasted until the Meiji Restoration in 1868—700 years … Continue reading Photo of the Day: A Bit of History
Photo of the Day: Shrine on the Hill
Just up the road from Hasedera on Yuigahama Dori, off to the side and into the hills, is a small shrine by the name of Amanawa Jinja. The torii gate is plain stone, and the stairway up is so steep, you can barely see the shrine building up above from the bottom. It lacks the … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Shrine on the Hill
Photo of the Day: Historical Cosplayers
Costumed visitors to Kotoku-in pay their respects at the mantoukai held in remembrance of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. I'm fairly certain this pair is meant to be Yoritomo Minamoto—founder and first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, and his consort, Masako Hojo, whose family took on the role of regents of the shogun (and basically … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Historical Cosplayers
Kamakura History
Lately, I've been trying to untangle the history of the Minamoto family and Kamakura Period-era Kamakura in my head. What with all the names and changing loyalties, it can be mind-boggling to get straight who was who, who was with or against whom, and what on earth was going on. There is a wonderful book … Continue reading Kamakura History
鎌倉ペンション・Inn By The Sea Kamakura 