{"id":28124,"date":"2026-11-05T19:07:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T10:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kamakuraguide.com\/?page_id=28124"},"modified":"2026-11-08T14:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T05:05:11","slug":"tsurugaoka-hachimangu-hatsumode","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kamakuraguide.com\/en\/kamakura-station-east\/tsurugaoka-hachimangu-kamakura\/tsurugaoka-hachimangu-hatsumode\/","title":{"rendered":"Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (\u9db4\u5ca1\u516b\u5e61\u5bae \u521d\u8a63)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Hatsumode
The Romon Gate and the Grand Stone Staircase at New Year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Is Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hatsumode (\u521d\u8a63) is the first visit to a shrine or temple in the New Year, a custom observed across Japan to pray for good fortune in the year ahead. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (\u9db4\u5ca1\u516b\u5e61\u5bae)<\/a> is the leading shrine for hatsumode in Kamakura (\u938c\u5009). Minamoto no Yoritomo (\u6e90\u983c\u671d)<\/a>, founder of the Kamakura shogunate, moved this Hachiman shrine to the center of Kamakura, and during the first three days of January, crowds of worshippers fill everything from Wakamiya-oji Avenue (\u82e5\u5bae\u5927\u8def)<\/a> to the shrine grounds. From New Year’s Eve through the first days of January, the shrine usually stays open all night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Infographic
The illustration is for reference only<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dates and Hours<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The shrine is usually open 24 hours a day from New Year’s Eve through the first days of January. The day the all-night opening ends varies by year. After that comes a day with hours from midnight to 8:00 PM, and then the usual hours of 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM resume. Check the shrine’s New Year visit notice, posted in December, for the exact hours each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the New Year period, the following rituals are held: on December 31, Oharae (\u5927\u7953), a purification rite, at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM; Koshinsatsu Shonosai (\u53e4\u795e\u672d\u713c\u7d0d\u796d), the burning of old talismans, at 4:00 PM; and Joyasai (\u9664\u591c\u796d), the New Year’s Eve ritual, at 5:00 PM. On January 1, Saitansai (\u6b73\u65e6\u796d), the New Year’s Day ritual, begins at 5:00 AM, followed at 7:00 AM by Kagura Hajimeshiki (\u795e\u697d\u59cb\u5f0f), the first sacred dance of the year, at the Maiden Pavilion (\u821e\u6bbf), a stage for sacred dances. From January 1 to 7, the Gohan Gyoji (\u5fa1\u5224\u884c\u4e8b), a blessing with the shrine’s sacred seal, is held. On January 4 from around 1:00 PM, the Chona Hajime Shiki (\u624b\u65a7\u59cb\u5f0f)<\/a>, a work-starting ceremony for Kamakura’s builders, takes place in front of the Maiden. On January 15 at 7:00 AM, New Year decorations are burned in the Sagicho Shinji (\u5de6\u7fa9\u9577\u795e\u4e8b)<\/a>, a New Year fire ritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Visit Works and How Crowded It Gets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After you enter the grounds through the Third Torii Gate (\u4e09\u306e\u9ce5\u5c45), a line forms along the approach to the Main Shrine (\u672c\u5bae). When it is crowded, the line is divided with ropes at two points, in front of the Lower Worship Hall (\u4e0b\u62dd\u6bbf), which is another name for the Maiden Pavilion, and in front of the Grand Stone Staircase (\u5927\u77f3\u6bb5), and visitors move forward a little at a time under the guidance of police and security staff. When the people at the top of the staircase have moved on, the next group goes up. During the daytime in the first three days of January, it can take close to an hour from joining the line to praying at the Main Shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After praying, follow the guidance to a return route separate from the Grand Stone Staircase. Along the way are stalls offering ofuda (\u304a\u672d), talismans for the home, omamori (\u304a\u5b88\u308a), amulets, and hamaya (\u7834\u9b54\u77e2), arrows said to ward off evil, and food stalls line the approach within the grounds. Photography is not allowed in the Main Shrine inside the Romon Gate (\u697c\u9580).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Komachi Street (\u5c0f\u753a\u901a\u308a)<\/a>, which starts in front of Kamakura Station (\u938c\u5009\u99c5), gets extremely crowded. From the station, walking along Wakamiya-oji Avenue is easier, and during the first three days of January the avenue is closed to vehicles and mostly used by pedestrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before You Go<\/h3>\n\n\n\n