Enoshima Shrine Audio Guide

Enoshima Shrine: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Enoshima Shrine

   Welcome to Enoshima Shrine, one of the great pilgrimage places of the Shonan coast. Strictly speaking, the island of Enoshima belongs to the city of Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture. It sits just a short trip from Kamakura, and the two places share a deep common history that we will touch on along the way. Here is something worth knowing before you start climbing. Enoshima Shrine is not a single building. It is a family of three shrines, called Hetsumiya, Nakatsumiya and Okutsumiya, and together they carry the name Enoshima Shrine. They are strung out along the island, so visiting means taking a walk, with stairs, slopes and sea air included. The shrine is dedicated to Benzaiten, a goddess associated with artistry, music and wisdom. Over the next few minutes we will meet her, follow the footsteps of Kamakura's warrior rulers, and look at the legends and symbols woven into this island. Take your time, and enjoy the climb.

2. 02

   Benzaiten and the Three Sanctuaries

   Let us start with the goddess. Enoshima is counted among the three most famous Benzaiten shrines in Japan, together with the shrines on Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture and on Chikubushima in Shiga Prefecture. Benzaiten is known as a deity of artistry, music and wisdom, which is why musicians, artists and students have long felt drawn to her. The shrine also holds a famous image of her, a sculpture known as Naked Benzaiten. This distinctive nude style is characteristic of the Kamakura Period, and it is one of the best-known treasures associated with the island's worship. Now look to the three sanctuaries themselves. Hetsumiya, Nakatsumiya and Okutsumiya are the three that make up Enoshima Shrine today. The name Enoshima Shrine for the whole group dates from the Meiji Period, when Shinto and Buddhism, long blended together on the island, were formally separated. Near the start of your walk, just over Enoshima Bentenbashi Bridge, stands a bronze torii gate. It was originally made of wood and was rebuilt in bronze in 1821, and the names of the donors who paid for it are carved right into it. Today it is a designated cultural property of Fujisawa City.

3. 03

   Shoguns, Regents and the Caves of Iwaya

   Enoshima's story is tied closely to the warriors who ruled from Kamakura. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, visited the shrine, and so did Hojo Tokimasa, the first regent. Tokimasa's visit is the best-told episode. The epic Taiheiki records that in the year 1190, he confined himself in the caves at Iwaya to pray for the prosperity of his children. Another telling describes this as a retreat lasting 21 days. Either way, the image is a powerful one: the most influential man in the shogunate, kneeling in a sea cave and praying for his descendants. At the far end of the island, the final main sanctuary, Okutsumiya, is approached through an old stone torii. Tradition attributes that gate to the first Kamakura shogun, in the year 1185. Notice how the geography works. The shrines lead you from the lively front of the island toward its older, quieter back, where the caves cut into the rock below. Following that route, you are walking the same spiritual path that medieval pilgrims took.

4. 04

   Legends, Scales and Wishing Trees

   Enoshima is a place where myth and landscape run together. One tradition says the three goddesses enshrined here were born from a sacred oath between Amaterasu Omikami and Susanoo-no-Mikoto, two of the great figures of Japanese mythology. That is what gives the shrine its deep mythological weight. Another tale says the shrine began when people worshipped a god in one of the island's caves, by order of Emperor Kinmei, who reigned before Prince Shotoku. Treat that as the shrine's own founding legend, a story told about the very beginning of worship on Enoshima. Look for the shrine's crest as you walk. It shows three scales surrounded by oncoming waves, and it comes from a story known as the Legend of the Three Scales. It is a lovely emblem of an island ringed by the sea. Within the precinct you will also find a sacred tree called the musubi-no-ki, and on its branches hang many ema, small wooden votive tablets. They are left by people hoping for a good marriage match, so you can read a little of the visitors' hopes in them.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   A few practical thoughts for your visit. The shrines are reached mainly on foot, and the terrain has plenty of stairs and slopes. If you would like an easier ascent, the paid Enoshima Escar escalator can help. From the Odakyu Line Katase-Enoshima Station, the Enoshima Dentetsu Line Enoshima Station or the Shonan Monorail Shonan-Enoshima Station, the walk to the shrine takes roughly 15 to 23 minutes. The pleasure boat Bentenmaru is another way to reach the island. Along the street leading up to the shrine, which pilgrims have cherished for centuries, you may want to try the local shirasu-don, a rice bowl topped with fresh whitebait, or the giant octopus rice crackers. If you come in summer, the island is lit by more than 1,000 lanterns during the Enoshima Toro season, and the path toward Okutsumiya becomes a glowing night walk. As you wander, keep asking yourself one thing: which of the three sanctuaries speaks to you most, and what did the warriors of Kamakura find in these caves that sent them praying here?