The Yoshitsune Festival Schedule
From 12:00 PM on the third Saturday of April
Organizer：Yoshitsune Festival Executive Committee
Main Venues：Koshigoe Shopping Street
Main Events：Yoshitsune Memorial Service (Manpuku-ji Temple)、Parade (including brass bands, etc.)
The Yoshitsune Festival has been held since 1960 (Showa 35), organized by the Yoshitsune Festival Executive Committee.
As a sponsored event of the Kamakura Festival, it features a parade and the Yoshitsune Memorial Service, among other activities.
This time we introduce the Yoshitsune Festival, held in Koshigoe.
The photo was taken in April 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
【PR】A Folding Fan Featuring “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji”
Katsushika Hokusai is arguably the most famous Japanese artist worldwide, a ukiyo-e master who influenced many renowned painters around the globe.
This folding fan features prints of two of his most iconic works from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series.
The item was purchased through your Amazon website.
Yoshitsune Festival
12:00PM
The Yoshitsune Memorial Service will be held at Manpuku-ji Temple. The photo in the middle was taken around 12:42 PM, which is about when the service ends, so please be aware of the timing if you plan to attend.
Around 1:15 PM
The parade starts at Ryūkō-ji Temple and goes to Koyurugi Shrine.
If you walk from Manpuku-ji toward Ryūkō-ji, you might see the parade along the way.
At the start, “Miss Kamakura” appears riding a motorcycle—looks a bit tight! Samurai march in a procession, seeming to protect the princess. It looks like a lot of fun!
Next up is a performance by the Kamakura High School Wind Ensemble.
Their blue T-shirts match the colors of the Yoshitsune Festival—very fitting!
Next up is a performance by the Shichirigahama High School Wind Ensemble.
Their white jackets, which most people don’t wear in everyday life, look very stylish!
Finally, the children perform the Yosakoi dance.
“Here comes the Enoden!” “Watch out!”
Dancing on the train tracks—while trains are still running—is definitely not something you get to experience every day.
After the Enoden train passed:
“Everyone, come back—we’re starting again!”
“Okay!”
They looked like they were having so much fun, and watching them was just as enjoyable.
On this day, the Enoden trains go by super slowly—you could almost reach out and touch them (but don’t!).
The parade lasts about one hour.
【PR】Reading this book will make your trip to Kamakura even more rewarding.
The item was purchased through your Amazon website.
Manpuku-ji
Manpuku-ji Temple belongs to the Shingon-shū Daikaku-ji sect, with the mountain name Ryugo-san.
It was founded by Gyōki in 744.
Prince Yoshitsune is also famous as the younger brother of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate. After his triumphant victory over the Taira clan at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, he returned to Kamakura in high spirits, but he was not allowed to enter the city due to his brother Yoritomo’s anger. He therefore stayed at Manpuku-ji in Koshigoe.
To try to calm his brother’s wrath, Yoshitsune wrote the famous “Koshigoe Letter”, and it is said that Benkei even helped draft it.
In the end, Yoritomo’s anger never eased. Yoshitsune returned to Kyoto and later went to Oshū Hiraizumi, where he was killed. It is said that Yoshitsune’s head was examined at Manpuku-ji.
The temple’s interior is also remarkable. There are 32 sliding-door paintings depicting the farewell of Yoshitsune and Shizuka, created using Kamakura-bori carving techniques.
If you visit, it’s definitely worth seeing! (Admission: Adults 200 yen, Junior High 100 yen, Elementary and under free)
At the back of the Manpuku-ji Temple grounds, there is a grave. If you climb up to it, you can enjoy a different view of Enoshima. On clear days, you can also see Mount Fuji.
Access
Koshigoe Station: 8 stops from Kamakura Station on the Enoden (about 20 minutes), and 6 stops from Fujisawa Station (about 13 minutes).
👉 満福寺 Manpuku-ji
👉 龍口寺 Ryūkō-ji
Ryūkō-ji Temple is located in Fujisawa, and it’s a very historic temple with an impressive main hall and beautiful grounds.
The five-story pagoda is especially worth seeing.
コメント