History & Culture in Kamakura

An ancient mountain-cut pass runs largely forgotten in the suburbs of Kamakura.

Associated with Japanese folklore's most eminent sorcerer, this slab of rock is said to be both a blessing and a curse.

An unassuming set of tiles next to a mailbox mark the former location of one of the most famous springs in the city.

Over 80 years old, this hand-dug tunnel is a Chinese-style portal to another world.

This frenetic mural recalls an annual festival that once took the city by storm.

These statues are dedicated to the damned souls of those executed centuries ago on the beautiful Yuigahama beach.

Home to 800-year-old zen basin, a 400-year-old pilgrim’s path, and a century-old industrial grotto.

The preserved ruins of the Hōjō clan’s palatial estate, hidden in the basement of a tourist information center.

An eerie cluster of medieval cave-like tombs carved out of a cliff, hidden in a historic mountain pass.

This mysterious medieval grotto holds a grid of sacred wells of unknown purpose.

Access to this hidden site of a 14th-century mass suicide is prohibited, unless it is to pray for the dead.