Kenchoji Temple Gotan-e (Buddha’s Birthday)

Photo: KQuhen / CC BY-SA 4.0

What Is the Gotan-e at Kenchoji Temple?

The Gotan-e (降誕会) at Kenchoji Temple (建長寺) is a Buddhist service celebrating the birth of the Buddha, held every year on April 8. It is also called Hanamatsuri (花まつり), the Flower Festival, or Kanbutsu-e (灌仏会). According to legend, sweet rain called kanro (甘露) fell from the sky when the Buddha was born. In memory of this, a statue of the infant Buddha, the tanjobutsu (誕生仏), is placed inside a small flower-decked shrine called a hanamido (花御堂), and sweet tea, amacha (甘茶), is poured over it. Together with Jodo-e (成道会), which marks the Buddha’s enlightenment, and Nehan-e (涅槃会), which marks his passing, the Gotan-e is one of the three important services dedicated to the Buddha.

Date and Time

The Gotan-e takes place every year on April 8, and the service usually begins at 10:00.

Highlights: The Hanamido and Chanting Monks in the Hatto

The service is held in the Hatto (法堂), the Dharma Hall and the largest hall at Kenchoji Temple. A hanamido is set up in the hall, and dozens of monks chant sutras to celebrate the Buddha’s birth. After the service, a monk usually gives a short Buddhist talk, a howa (法話), which anyone can listen to.

Highlights: Sweet Tea

On the day, sweet tea is served near the Hatto. Amacha is a lightly sweet tea made from the leaves of the amacha shrub. Each year, first-year students of the neighboring Kamakura Gakuen (鎌倉学園) junior high school also come to pay their respects at the Gotan-e.

About the Hatto

The Hatto is about 20 meters tall and is among the largest wooden halls in the Kanto (関東) region. Its ceiling bears the Unryu-zu (雲龍図), a painting of a cloud dragon by the artist Koizumi Junsaku (小泉淳作), and at the back of the hall sits a statue of Senju Kannon (千手観音), the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Tips for Visiting

The regular temple admission fee (adults 500 yen, elementary and junior high school students 200 yen) applies on the day of the Gotan-e. The fee is payable in cash only, and visiting hours are 8:30 to 16:30. April 8 often falls in cherry blossom season, and in some years you can enjoy the cherry trees along the approach. How far the blossoms are out varies from year to year.

Access: Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place

Kenchoji Temple is about a 15-minute walk from Kita-Kamakura Station (北鎌倉駅) on the JR Yokosuka Line. From Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅) it is about a 30-minute walk, or you can take a bus and get off at Kenchoji Temple. If you stay at Toshi’s Place (トシズプレイス), take the Enoden (江ノ電) from Hase (長谷) or Wadazuka (和田塚) to Kamakura Station and head to Kenchoji Temple in time for the 10:00 service. Also on April 8, near Gokurakuji Station (極楽寺駅) on the Enoden, Gokurakuji Temple (極楽寺) holds its Gokurakuji Temple Busshoe (仏生会), including a Kanbutsu-e where sweet tea is poured over the infant Buddha.

Summary

The Gotan-e at Kenchoji Temple is a service held every April 8 before the hanamido in the Hatto to celebrate the birth of the Buddha. The temple’s everyday highlights are introduced on our Kenchoji Temple page. In autumn, you may also enjoy the Kenchoji Temple Treasure Airing (Homotsu Kazeire) and ZEN NIGHT KAMAKURA.

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