Kamakura
City of Kanagawa prefecture, Honshu island, Japan, 15 km/9 mi southwest of Yokohama, on Sagami Bay; population (1993 est) 174,300. It is an exclusive commuter area for Tokyo. The mild climate and historic buildings, especially the Buddhist temples, attract tourists. Lacquerware has been an important craft since the 13th century. Kamakura was the seat of the first shogunate (1192–1333), which established the rule of the samurai class.
| Features include the Hachimangu Shrine, dedicated to the gods of war, and a 13th-century statue of Buddha (Daibutsu), which is 13 m/43 ft high and dates from 1252. The statue, and the Engakuji and Kenchoji temples, and the beaches of Shichirigahama and Yuigahama, are tourist attractions. From the 19th century, artists and writers, such as the novelist Kawabata, settled here. |
