User:Urashimataro/Kamakura's 83 steles

The stele at the Saburō Falls at the beginning of the Asaina Pass

In historical sites in and around Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, stand a total of 83 black steles written in obscure classical Japanese. They describe the history and significance of the place and were erected in the 20th century during the Taisho and Showa eras. Reading them is difficult even for a Japanese, so the Kamakura Citizen's Net has organized a site with their translation in modern Japanese. Their translations follow.

The steles

Aoto Fujitsuna's historic spot

Location: At Tōshō-jibashi in Komachi, next to the river.

According to the Taiheiki, Aoto Fujitsuna was judge in Kamakura at the time of Hōjō Tokimune and Hōjō Sadatoki. One evening, having lost 10 mon (文) in the Namerikawa, he bought a torch for fity mon, entered in the water and started looking for the lost money. Heard the story, people made fun of him saying that he ended up spending far more than he had lost. Fujitsuna replied that ten mon were not many, but losing them forever would be a great loss. He had lost fifty mon, but he had done that for the benefit of all.

Erected in March 1938 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Aoto Fujitsuna's residence

Location: At Aotobashi in Jomyoji.

When talking about the good deeds of the Kamakura shoguns, one usually mentions the names of Hōjō Tokiyori's and Hōjō Tokimune. However one should not forget the contributions of Aoto Fujitsuna, who served under both shoguns. There are many anecdotes about Fujitsuna. The following story is particularly popular. One evening, having lost 10 mon (文) fording the Namerikawa, he bought a torch for fity mon, entered in the water and started looking for the lost money. This is the place where his mansion is supposed to have stood.

Erected in March 1921 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Asahina Pass

Location: At the entrance of the pass, next to the Saburo Falls.

This slope in one of Kamakura's Seven Entrances. It connected Mutsuura and Kamakura and was an important means of communication. There are a large pass 大切通(おおきりどうし)、 and a small one 小切通(こきりどうし). Locals say the name derives from the fact that Asahina Yoshihide opened the pass by himself in a single night. According to the Azuma Kagami, in November 1240 it was decided to open a road between Mutsuura and Kamakura and in April 1241 work was started with Regent Hojo Yasutoki directing it in person and lots of people carrying dirt and stones. It can be therefore believed that the pass was created then.

Erected in March 1920 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Abutsu's residence

Location: Inamuragasaki 2-12-8.

The nun Abutsu was the

Erected in March 1934 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Ashikaga kubō's residence

Location: Jōmyōji 4-2-25, near Nijinohashi Bridge.

After Minamoto no Yoritomo founded his shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshikane made this place his residence. For well over 200 years thereafter his descendants resided here. After Ashikaga Takauji became [shōgun] and moved to Kyoto, his son and second shogun Yoshiakira decided to also live there. Yoshiakira's younger brother Motouji then became Kantō's kanrei and commanded his army from here. This became the tradition for all of Ashikaga offspring. They, after Kyoto's fashion, gave themselves the title kubō. In 1455 kubō Ashikaga Nariuji, after clashing with Uesugi Noritada Norikata, moved to Ibaraki's Shimōsa and the residence was demolished.

Erected in March 1918 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Adachi Morinaga's residence

Location: On Amanawa Jinja's sandō in Hase.

When Minamoto no Yoritomo was in Izu's Hirugashima, Adachi Morinaga collaborated actively with him to make his plans succeed. Even after the defeat at the Battle of Ishibashiyama when the Genji dynasty seemed to be on the verge of disaster, Morinaga escaped to Minami Bōsō with Yoritomo and there started planning the reconstruction of the army. When finally the Minamoto's white flag fluttered in Kamakura, he was rewarded with a prominent social position. His son Morikage and nephew Yoshikage inherited his position. They were visited by Yoritomo and the shoguns that followed him. Their residence used to stand here.

Erected in March 1925 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Dankazura

Location: Under Tsurugaoka Hachimangū's Second Torii (Ni no Torii). :

The 'dankazura is also called Okiishi (置き石). In March 1182, Minamoto no Yoritomo, wanting his wife Masako to have a safe delivery, had this sandō built from Tsurugaoka Hachimangū all the way to Yuigahama's great Torii. The stones and dirt necessary were carried by Hōjō Tokimasa and by many samurai of the Minamoto clan. The portion of the dankazura from the second torii onward was removed after the Meiji period.

Erected in March 1918 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Ebisudobashi Bridge

Location: On the bridge in Komachi, next to Honkaku-ji's Sanmon gate .

This is one of Kamakura's Ten Bridges (鎌倉十橋). It is said that once here stood the Ebisudo|夷堂. This bridge is now called Namerikawa, but it used to have several names that changed according to the place. In its upper course it used to be called Kurumigawa, near Jomyo-ji's gate it was called Namerikawa, near the remains of the Mongaku Yashiki it was called Zazengawa, here it was called Ebisudogawa, near Enmyo-ji it was called Sumiurigawa and near the remains of the Enmado it was called Enmadogawa.

Erected in March 1932 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

The stele at Geba

Geba

Location: in front of the gas station.:

Once upon a time, when samurai arrived to worship at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, they had to dismount their horses here, and for that reason this place was called Geba. The name has remained. Geba lies in an important position within Kamakura, and old tales tell us how it was often a battle ground. It is aid that, on September 12, 1271 Nichiren, on his way from his hut to Nagoe to the execution ground in Tatsunokuchi turned to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū and yelled:"Holy Hachiman, if you are a kami, give me a sign for the sake of Buddhism!"

Erected in March 1937 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Genpei Ponds

Location: Just after and to the left of the first torii, in front of the café:

The Genpei Ponds
The Azuma Kagami says that "In April 1182 Minamoto no Yoritomo told to monk Senkō and to Ōba Kageyoshi to have two ponds dug within the shrine." According to another version of the story, it was Yoritomo's wife Masako who, to pray for the prosperity of the Minamoto family, had these ponds dug, and had white lotuses planted in the east one and read ones in the west one, colors which are those of the Taira and Minamoto clans. From this derives their name.

Erected in March 1937 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Gokurakujizaka

Location: at the beginning of the Kamakura side of the pass, on the right:

This place used to be a hill but Ninshō, the founder of Gokuraku-ji, had it flattened and opened this road. The so-called Gokuraku-ji Pass is this road. When in 1333 Nitta Yoshisada attacked Kamakura, the army's shoguns Ōdate Muneuji and Eda Yukiyoshi advanced with their forces along this road, and here they clashed with Kamakura's forces commanded by Osaragi Sadanao. This is the place where they camped and fought.

Erected in March 1932 by the Kamakurachō Shonendan

Hatakeyama Shigeyasu's Grave

Location: in Yuigahama, next to Tsurugaoka Hachiman's first Torii (Ichi no Torii). :

Hatakeyama Shigeyasu was Hatakeyama Shigetada's eldest son. He had fought against Taira Tomomasa, who was Hōjō Tokimasa's son-in-law. Tomomasa hadn't forgotten the fact and advised Tokimasa against him. Tokimasa himself had-t forgotten how Shigetada had, according to Yoritomo's will, tried to protect his son and heir Yoriie, was waiting for an excuse to kill him. Having received an order to that effect from shogun Sanetomo, he surrounded Shigeyasu's residence with his soldiers. Shigeyasu fought well, but was finally killed. The day was June 6, 1205 and this is where the residence stood. The day after, Shigetada himself was tricked into going to Musashinokuni's (a region in the north western part of Kanagawa) Futamatagawa, where he was killed.

Erected in March 1922 by the Kamakuracho Shonendan

Hokaiji

The stele at the entrance expains:

This is where the Komachi residence of the Hojo clan used to stand. Starting from Hojo Yoshitoki, the Shikken usually lived here. [Last shikken] Hōjō Takatoki would party here day and night, and sometimes he would, together with the other dignitaries present, toss at a dengaku performer a mountain of hitatare and hakama as a reward. It was destroyed by fire during Nitta Yoshisada's invasion of Kamakura in 1333. Today's Hōkai-ji was built here in 1335 by Ashikaga Takauji. This temple was built to soothe the resentment of Takatoki and his bringing here Tōshō-ji, the Hōjō's family temple, and giving it its present name.

Hoshizuki no I Well

Location:Sakanoshita 18-27 below the stairs :

The Hoshitsuki no I (星月の井) is one of Kamakura's Ten Wells (鎌倉十井, Kamakura Jussen). It is also called Hoshitsukiyo no I (星月夜の井) and {{Hoshi no I｜星の井}}. This place is　now called Sakanoshita ("under the slope". It used to be so heavily forested to be dark even during the day, and for this reason it was first called Hoshizukigayatsu [Valley of the Stars and the Moon], later changing into Hoshigaya|星月夜. The name of the well probably came from its location's. The elderly around here believe what follows to be true:

Once upon a time the stars and the moon could be seen inside the well even during the day, originating the name, but someone living near here dropped by mistake a knife in it, and from that day the stars disappeared. In June 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu on his way back from Kyoto passed through Kamakura and visited this well. From then on it became widely known. Its water is pure and clean, and therefore perfect for drinking.
Erected in March 1927 by the Kamakuracho Shonendan

Inamuragasaki

Location: Sode no Ura (袖の浦), the small bay west of Inamuragaki:

666 years ago on May 21, 1333 Nitta Yoshisada, judging an invasion on land to be difficult, decided to try to bypass this cape. This is the place where, according to tradition, he threw his golden sword into the waves, praying the sea-god to withdraw them and let him pass.
(Stele erected in 1917)

Kewaizaka

Location: At the beginning of the Kamakura side of the pass:

The name of the Kewaizaka Pass can be written with the characters "化粧坂" or "形勢坂". According to one theory the name derives from the fact that once the shogun of the Taira clan was captured and makeup was applied to his severed head to make it easier to recognize. According to another, the name was born because a prostitute had her house at the bottom of the slope. In any case, in the Azuma Kagami the name never appears. This pass was one of Kamakura's Seven Entrances and was important in the defense of the city. Beginning with Nitta Yoshisada's invasion of 1333, it saw combat several times.

Man'yōshō Kenkyū Iseki

Location: inside Myohon-ji in Ōmachi, on the left of the Sojidō:

This is the place where Hikigayatsu's Shin Shakadō used to stand and where was the tomb of Take no Gosho, widow of shogun Yoritsune and daughter of shogun Yoriie. Senkaku, priest of this Hall [Shin SHakado], did in it his magnificent work of study of the Man'yōshū. Today there's a great stone in place of the tomb righ below the Hall's butsudan. The Hall probably faced south and the buildings where the priests used to live faced west. The stone building to the west is thought to house the bones of generations of priests like Senkaku. For more detailed informations, consult the Man'yōshū Shinkō Furoku Man'yōshū Zakkō (万葉集新考　附録　万葉集雑考).

Moto Hachiman

Location: at the entrance of the :

About the origin of the name Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, the Azuma Kagami says that: "Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, after his victorious campaign against Abe no Sadatō, in August 1063 erected this temple and transferred in it part of Kyoto's Iwashimizu Hachimangū's kami. In February 1081 the shrine was repaired by Minamoto no Yoshiie."
It is likely that this area was then called "Tsurugaoka". Later, on October 12, 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo, in order to worship his ancestors, had Yui Wakamiya transferred from its current spot to the mountain north of an area called Kobayashi, and that became Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. When the Azuma Kagami says that Minamoto no Toritomo at last visited his distant ancestors at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, it means this shrine. The new shrine used its predecessor's name without changes. From that moment, this place has been called Moto Hachiman.

Midarebashi Bridge

Location: On the bridge in Zaimokuza, 100 m from Suidobashi Crossing.

The Midarebashi (乱橋) is one of Kamakura's Ten Bridges (鎌倉十橋). The name can be written either with the characters 乱橋 or those 濫橋 and the bridge itself is made of stone. This bridge used to be famous for the renri trees on its south. According to the Azuma Kagami, at 4 in the morning of June 18, 1248 on this bridge snow started to fall and there was a thick white fog. Gyakugawabashi, the bridge over the narrow river that goes from Tsujimachi and Zaimokuza, is also one of Kamakura's Ten Bridges.

Nishi Mikado

The Kamakurachō Seinendan stele in Nishi Mikado says:

Nishi Mikado is the area west of the Hokkedō. It was given this name because it faced the Ōkura Bakufu's western gate. In Nishi Mikado used to stand Hōon-ji, Hojuin, Kōshō-ji, and Raikō-ji. Of them, only Raikō-ji still exists.

Okura Bakufu

820 years ago in 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo built his mansion here. Consolidated his power, he would later rule from here, and his government was therefore called Ōkura Bakufu (大蔵幕府, Ōkura Bakufu?). He was succeeded by his sons Yoriie and Sanetomo, and this place remained the seat of the government for 46 years until 1225, when his wife Hōjō Masako died. It was then transferred to Utsunomiya Tsuji (宇津宮辻, Utsunomiya Tsuji?)

Tōshō-ji's ruins

Location: In front of Harakiri Yagura, in Kamakura's Komachi. Original text available here.

In May 1333, when Nitta Yoshisada invaded Kamakura, Regent Hoji Takatoki left his residence in Komachi and barricaded himself in Tōshō-ji, the family temple where all his ancestors were buried. After that, while watching from afar the lights and smoke of the fires consuming the shops and residences of the entire city of Kamakura that his family had ruled for 150 years, the whole family, composed of over 870 people, committed suicide. This tragic act that ended the Hojo's power forever took place here.

Erected in March 1918 by the Kamakuracho Shonendan

Wakae Island

Location: On the beach, in front of Wakae Island. Original text available here.

"Waka" is the former name of today's Zaimokuza. This place used to be a harbor where timber was collected and shipped and, for this reason, the town's name changed soon to the present one.
Wakae Island was an embankment built to avoid the destruction by the waves of Waka's harbor. 768 years ago, a priest named Oamidabutsu asked permission for its building and, with the support of Moritsuna, work was started on July 15th and ended on August 9th.
Erected in March 1924 - The Kamakura Youth Club

Notes

References

Kamakura Shisekihi Jiten (in Japanese), Kamakura Citizen's Net, accessed on October 10, 2008

Death of User Fg2

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Sorry if I'm not posting correctly - I just wanted to let you know that fellow Tokyo group member Fg2 passed away last month. He was a frequent contributor to Wikipedia and Commons. I'm not sure of the etiquette on posting things such as this, but his obituary is here:

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http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=frank-j-gualtieri&pid=131905563