Engaku-ji Temple: Kamakura’s Great Zen Temple & National Treasure Shariden

Introduction

Step off the train at JR Kita-Kamakura Station and Engaku-ji’s Byakurochi Pond and the stone steps up to its outer gate (Somon) are right beside the tracks. The temple is one stop from Kamakura and a one-minute walk from the station, yet the grounds climb gradually along a narrow valley — Sanmon gate, Buddha Hall, abbot’s quarters — and the traffic noise fades the farther in you go.

Engaku-ji was founded in 1282 by the regent Hojo Tokimune, with the Chinese Zen master Mugaku Sogen (Wuxue Zuyuan), invited from Song-dynasty China, as its founding priest. It is the head temple of the Engaku-ji branch of Rinzai Zen and ranks second among the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura (Kamakura Gozan). One purpose of its founding was to honor those who died in the Mongol invasions, friend and foe alike. It holds two National Treasures: the Shariden (Relic Hall) and the Ogane (Great Bell). This article covers the key points of its history, what to see on the grounds, how to plan around the Shariden’s limited opening days, nearby temples, and access.

Overview of Engaku-ji

Its formal name is Zuirokusan Engaku Kosho Zenji. The mountain name “Zuirokusan” (Auspicious Deer Mountain) is said to come from a story that white deer gathered to hear Mugaku Sogen preach at the dedication of the Buddha Hall, and the temple name “Engaku” from a tradition that the Engaku Sutra (Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment) was unearthed during construction.

*Please check the official Engaku-ji website for the latest visiting hours and admission fees.

The Kamakura Gozan are five Zen temples ranked by the shogunate; Engaku-ji comes second after Kencho-ji. Its sub-temples (tatchu) numbered 42 at their peak and 19 today (some sources say 17). The main features of the grounds:

• National Treasures: the Shariden (inside Shozoku-in, normally closed) and the Ogane bell (beside the Benten-do hall)
• Main buildings: Somon gate, Sanmon gate (Kanagawa Prefecture Important Cultural Property), Butsuden (Buddha Hall), Senbutsujo, Hojo, Myoko-ike Pond
• Sub-temples always open to visitors: Butsunichi-an, Obai-in, Keisho-an
• Experiences: early-morning zazen and weekend zazen at the Kojirin hall (details in the FAQ below)

History of Engaku-ji

Period 1 — The Mongol Invasions and Founding (1282, Koan 5)

Hojo Tokimune was the regent who faced the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281. He had become regent at 18 and was a devoted Zen practitioner under Mugaku Sogen (1226–1286), a monk from Song China. Mugaku is said to have remained unshaken when Mongol soldiers surrounded his temple in China, composing the “Verse Facing the Sword” (known for the line “cutting the spring breeze in a flash of lightning”).

In 1282 Tokimune founded Engaku-ji to protect the nation, to spread Zen, and to honor the war dead of the invasions without distinguishing friend from foe. In the valley of Yamanouchi, enclosed by hills on three sides, a Song-style Zen compound was built with the Somon, Sanmon, Butsuden, Hatto (Dharma Hall) and Hojo aligned in a straight line.

Period 2 — Patronage of the Kamakura Shogunate and Prosperity (13th–14th Century)

Tokimune’s son Hojo Sadatoki, the ninth regent, was also a generous patron. In 1301 Sadatoki donated the Ogane bell, now a National Treasure, as a prayer for peace in the realm. With land donated by the Hojo family, the imperial court and the shogunate, the temple built a solid economic base, and its buildings were complete by the end of the Kamakura period. The sub-temple Butsunichi-an is Tokimune’s mausoleum, where Sadatoki and Takatoki are also enshrined.

Period 3 — Fall of the Kamakura Shogunate and Warring States Trials (14th–16th Century)

When the Kamakura shogunate fell in 1333, Engaku-ji lost its greatest patrons, the Hojo, but it kept its second rank among the Kamakura Gozan through the Muromachi period. Mugaku Sogen’s lineage passed to Koho Kennichi and then Muso Soseki, becoming a central current of Muromachi-period Zen and Gozan literature.

The temple also suffered repeated fires. The great fire of 1374, the burning by Satomi Yoshitoyo’s troops in 1526 and the great fire of 1563 destroyed many buildings, and the temple went through periods of decline.

Period 4 — Edo Period Restoration and Revival (17th–19th Century)

In the Edo period the Senbutsujo, a meditation hall for training monks, was built in 1699, though the temple was damaged again by the earthquake of 1703. The foundation of today’s Engaku-ji was laid in the Tenmei era (late 18th century) by Daiyu Kokushi (Seisetsu Shucho), who restored the monks’ hall, the Sanmon and other buildings. The present Sanmon was rebuilt in 1785, the 500th memorial year of the founder Mugaku Sogen.

Period 5 — From Meiji, Taisho, and Showa to the Present (Modern Era)

In the Meiji era, monks and lay practitioners gathered under Imakita Kosen and his disciple Shaku Soen. Soen’s disciple D.T. Suzuki, who introduced Zen to the West in English, also trained here. The novelists Natsume Soseki and Shimazaki Toson practiced zazen at Engaku-ji, and Soseki drew on the experience in his novel The Gate (Mon).

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 toppled the Butsuden and other buildings; the Butsuden was rebuilt in 1964. The temple still has an active training monastery, and the public can join the early-morning zazen in the Butsuden and the zazen sessions at the Kojirin hall.

Highlights & Recommended Spots

From the Somon the grounds rise gently toward the Sanmon, the Butsuden, the Hojo and Shozoku-in, where the Shariden stands. Only the Ogane bell sits on a hilltop off the main path, up a steep flight of steps.

1. Sanmon (Main Gate) — The Imposing Gate at the Entrance of Engaku-ji

Pass through the Somon and the Sanmon appears straight ahead. The name is short for “gate of the three liberations” — emptiness, formlessness and wishlessness — and passing through it symbolizes shedding worldly desires on the way to the Buddha Hall. The present gate was rebuilt by Daiyu Kokushi in 1785 and is a Kanagawa Prefecture Important Cultural Property. The plaque reading “Engaku Kosho Zenji” was bestowed by the retired Emperor Fushimi. The upper story enshrines an Eleven-Faced Kannon, the Twelve Heavenly Generals and the Sixteen Arhats, but it is normally closed.

The gate is framed by cedars and maples, and in the foliage season many visitors photograph the two together. The stone steps around the Sanmon are slippery in the rain, so wear good walking shoes.

2. National Treasure: Ogane (Great Bell) — The Largest Bell in the Kanto Region from the Kamakura Period

The Ogane, hung beside the Benten-do hall on the hilltop, is 259.5 cm tall. According to the temple’s official website it is the largest temple bell in the Kanto region. It was donated by Hojo Sadatoki in 1301 and cast by Mononobe no Kunimitsu; the inscription was composed by the abbot of the time, Seikan Shidon.

The bell is reached by steep steps. The Benten-do beside it enshrines Benzaiten, reflecting a tradition that the bell’s casting succeeded thanks to the protection of Enoshima’s Benzaiten; Sadatoki built it together with the bell. There is also a small teahouse next to the Benten-do.

3. National Treasure: Shariden (Shozoku-in) — Zen-Style Architecture Known for Its Fan Rafters

The Shariden stands inside Shozoku-in, the sub-temple dedicated to the founder Mugaku Sogen. It enshrines a relic said to be a tooth of the Buddha, brought from Nengren Temple in Song China by the shogun Minamoto no Sanetomo, and is designated a National Treasure as a representative example of the Zen style (zenshuyo) introduced from China in the Kamakura period. It is the only National Treasure building in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Look at the roof. The rafters under the eaves spread out like the ribs of a folding fan — the “fan rafters” (ogi-daruki) — making the roof look larger and the small building appear grand. The cusped windows (katomado) with straight vertical sides are also typical of the late Kamakura period.

The Shariden is normally closed and is specially opened during the New Year holidays, May 3–5 and the “Treasure Airing” (Hobutsu Kaze-ire) in early November (in 2026: January 1–3, May 3–5 and October 31–November 2). On other days you can only pay respects from outside the Shozoku-in gate.

4. Byakurochi Pond and the Butsuden — The Heart of the Temple Grounds

Byakurochi Pond lies in front of the Somon, on the opposite side of the Yokosuka Line level crossing, and can be seen from the Kita-Kamakura platform. The railway was laid through the temple grounds in the Meiji era, leaving the pond alone on the far side of the tracks. Its name (White Heron Pond) is said to come from a story that when Mugaku Sogen arrived in Kamakura, a messenger of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu deity took the form of a white heron to guide him.

Beyond the Sanmon stands the Butsuden. After it collapsed in the Great Kanto Earthquake it was rebuilt in 1964 based on a plan drawn in 1573. The principal image is the crowned Hokan Shaka Nyorai, accompanied by statues of Bonten and Taishakuten. The plaque “Daikomyo Hoden” was bestowed by the retired Emperor Gokogon. The “White Dragon” ceiling painting was painted by Moriya Tadashi under the supervision of Maeda Seison, and you can look up at it from the hall’s entrance.

5. Obai-in and the Sub-Temple Corridors — The Everyday Spaces of Zen

Sub-temples were built by disciples to guard the memorial towers of founders and eminent monks. Of the 19, only Butsunichi-an, Obai-in and Keisho-an are always open to visitors; the rest are generally closed.

Obai-in, at the far end of the grounds, is the memorial temple of Muso Soseki (Engaku-ji’s 15th abbot), founded in 1354 by his disciple Hogai Koen. Its principal image is a Thousand-Armed Kannon.

Butsunichi-an is Hojo Tokimune’s mausoleum. For a separate fee you can view its garden, and matcha is served for an additional charge.

Nearby Sightseeing Spots

Kencho-ji — The First-Ranked Great Zen Temple of the Kamakura Gozan

Kencho-ji, a 15–20 minute walk from Engaku-ji toward Kamakura, is the first-ranked of the Kamakura Gozan. It was founded in 1253 by Hojo Tokiyori with the Song Chinese monk Rankei Doryu (Lanxi Daolong) as its founding priest. It has a National Treasure bell and a Sanmon gate that is an Important Cultural Property, and on a clear day you can see Sagami Bay from Hansobo at the back of the grounds. One theory holds that kenchin-jiru soup is a corruption of “Kenchoji-jiru.” Tokei-ji and Jochi-ji lie along the way, so you can walk the Kita-Kamakura temples in order.

Tokei-ji — The Temple of Divorce and Flowers

Tokei-ji, across the tracks from Engaku-ji, was founded in 1285 by Kakusan-ni, Hojo Tokimune’s widow. In the Edo period it was known as a “divorce temple” where a woman who fled there could obtain a divorce from her husband. Today it is loved for seasonal flowers such as plum and irises, and the philosopher Nishida Kitaro and D.T. Suzuki are buried here. It is easy to add before or after Engaku-ji.

Kamakura & Hase Area — Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and the Great Buddha

Kamakura Station is one stop (about 3 minutes) from Kita-Kamakura on the JR Yokosuka Line. Walk Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and Komachi-dori near the station, then take the Enoden to Hase Station for the Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kotoku-in), a bronze National Treasure about 11.3 meters tall, and Hase-dera, known for its Eleven-Faced Kannon and its sea-view terrace. Working north to south — Engaku-ji, Kencho-ji, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, then Hase-dera and the Great Buddha — avoids backtracking.

For another historic temple, see also our article on Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.

Access Information

By Train

Get off at Kita-Kamakura Station on the JR Yokosuka Line; the temple is about a 1-minute walk. From Tokyo Station it takes about 55 minutes on the direct Yokosuka Line, about 25 minutes from Yokohama, and one stop (about 3 minutes) from Kamakura. If you are on the Tokaido Line or Shonan-Shinjuku Line, change to the Yokosuka Line at Ofuna. From Kamakura Station you can also take an Enoden bus (bound for Ofuna Station and others) to the “Kita-Kamakura Eki” stop, a 1-minute walk. Kita-Kamakura Station has a narrow platform, so getting out of the station can take time on weekends and in peak seasons.

By Car / Parking

About 20 minutes from Asahina IC on the Yokohama-Yokosuka Road. Engaku-ji has no parking for regular cars, so use nearby paid lots. Traffic in the Kamakura and Kita-Kamakura area is often heavy on weekends and holidays, so the train is recommended.

Tips for the Kita-Kamakura Station Area

The station area is residential, with few convenience stores or large restaurants, so it helps to bring drinks with you. Allow about an hour for the main buildings, or 1.5–2 hours if you also visit the bell and sub-temples. Tripods, monopods, and sketching or drawing are prohibited on the grounds.

Conclusion

Engaku-ji lets you walk a Kamakura-period Zen temple layout just one minute from the station. On a first visit, focus on the Sanmon, the White Dragon ceiling of the Butsuden and the Ogane bell; if you want to see the Shariden, plan around its opening days at New Year, May 3–5 and early November.

Frequently Asked Questions