Reisai Festival at Yui Wakamiya Shrine (由比若宮例祭)

What Is the Reisai Festival at Yui Wakamiya Shrine?

The Reisai (例祭, annual festival) of Yui Wakamiya Shrine (由比若宮) is held every April 2 at Yui Wakamiya in Zaimokuza (材木座), Kamakura (鎌倉). Yui Wakamiya is also called Moto Hachiman (元八幡, “the original Hachiman”), because it was the shrine that stood here before Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮) was moved to its present site. The rite is conducted by priests led by the chief priest (宮司, guji) of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and attended by parishioners (氏子, ujiko) and worshippers. The venue is not the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine but Yui Wakamiya in Zaimokuza, east of Wakamiya-oji Avenue (若宮大路) and close to the sea.

Date, Time and Viewing

The rite usually begins at 10:00 AM. It is held every April 2, whatever the day of the week. Members of the public can watch standing. On the following day, April 3, a separate ceremony called the Wakamiya Reisai (若宮例祭) is held within the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, so be careful not to mix up the date and the place.

Highlights | The Annual Festival Where Kamakura’s Hachiman Faith Began

Yui Wakamiya dates back to 1063 (康平6年, the 6th year of Kohei), when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (源頼義), returning after subduing the northeast in the Former Nine Years’ War (前九年の役, Zenkunen no Eki), enshrined here a divided spirit (御分霊, gobunrei) of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine (石清水八幡宮) in Kyoto (京都), to which he had prayed for protection when he set out. This area had long been ruled by the Minamoto clan and was called Yuigo Tsurugaoka (由比郷鶴岡). In the 10th month of 1180 (治承4年, the 4th year of Jisho), Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝) entered Kamakura and, after seeking the will of the deity, moved the shrine his ancestor had founded to the foot of Mt. Daijin (大臣山), a fitting center for his new town. That shrine is today’s Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Even after the move, rites have continued at the original site. The 1906 (明治39年) office diary of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine records that “the Yui Wakamiya Reisai was performed,” showing that this is a long-standing observance. The small vermilion hall is built in the ikkensha nagare-zukuri (一間社流造) style, a single-bay shrine with a sweeping front roof, and the grounds are designated a historic site together with Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Usually a quiet shrine tucked away in a residential area, it fills with parishioners on the festival day and takes on the solemn air of a Shinto rite.

For New Year visits to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, which Minamoto no Yoritomo built after moving Yui Wakamiya, see Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. For the spring festival held mainly around Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine from the second Sunday of April, see Kamakura Festival.

Access | Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place

Yui Wakamiya is about a 15-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅). You can also take a bus bound for Kuhonji (九品寺) from the bus stop at the East Exit of Kamakura Station and get off at Moto Hachiman (元八幡); the shrine is right there.

If you stay near Hase Station (長谷駅) or Wadazuka Station (和田塚駅) on the Enoden (江ノ電), you can head out with time to spare in the morning for the 10:00 AM rite. At Toshi’s Place, fully unstaffed smart hotels with fully equipped kitchens and room-only stays, you can go out to Kamakura’s shrine festivals at your own pace.

Summary

The Reisai Festival at Yui Wakamiya Shrine is the annual festival held every April 2 by the priests of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine at the place where Minamoto no Yoriyoshi enshrined the spirit of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine, the birthplace of Kamakura’s Hachiman faith. For the shrine on ordinary days, see Yui Wakamiya Shrine; for the shrine it was moved to, see Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Basic Information

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