The Reisai (\u4f8b\u796d, annual festival) of Yui Wakamiya Shrine (\u7531\u6bd4\u82e5\u5bae) is held every April 2 at Yui Wakamiya in Zaimokuza (\u6750\u6728\u5ea7), Kamakura (\u938c\u5009). Yui Wakamiya is also called Moto Hachiman (\u5143\u516b\u5e61, “the original Hachiman”), because it was the shrine that stood here before Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (\u9db4\u5ca1\u516b\u5e61\u5bae)<\/a> was moved to its present site. The rite is conducted by priests led by the chief priest (\u5bae\u53f8, guji) of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and attended by parishioners (\u6c0f\u5b50, ujiko) and worshippers. The venue is not the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine but Yui Wakamiya in Zaimokuza, east of Wakamiya-oji Avenue (\u82e5\u5bae\u5927\u8def)<\/a> and close to the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 (\u82e5\u5bae\u4f8b\u796d) is held within the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, so be careful not to mix up the date and the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yui Wakamiya dates back to 1063 (\u5eb7\u5e736\u5e74, the 6th year of Kohei), when Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (\u6e90\u983c\u7fa9), returning after subduing the northeast in the Former Nine Years’ War (\u524d\u4e5d\u5e74\u306e\u5f79, Zenkunen no Eki), enshrined here a divided spirit (\u5fa1\u5206\u970a, gobunrei) of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine (\u77f3\u6e05\u6c34\u516b\u5e61\u5bae) in Kyoto (\u4eac\u90fd), 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 (\u7531\u6bd4\u90f7\u9db4\u5ca1). In the 10th month of 1180 (\u6cbb\u627f4\u5e74, the 4th year of Jisho), Minamoto no Yoritomo (\u6e90\u983c\u671d)<\/a> entered Kamakura and, after seeking the will of the deity, moved the shrine his ancestor had founded to the foot of Mt. Daijin (\u5927\u81e3\u5c71), a fitting center for his new town. That shrine is today’s Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after the move, rites have continued at the original site. The 1906 (\u660e\u6cbb39\u5e74) 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 (\u4e00\u9593\u793e\u6d41\u9020) 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For New Year visits to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, which Minamoto no Yoritomo built after moving Yui Wakamiya, see Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine<\/a>. For the spring festival held mainly around Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine from the second Sunday of April, see Kamakura Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yui Wakamiya is about a 15-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Kamakura Station (\u938c\u5009\u99c5). You can also take a bus bound for Kuhonji (\u4e5d\u54c1\u5bfa) from the bus stop at the East Exit of Kamakura Station and get off at Moto Hachiman (\u5143\u516b\u5e61); the shrine is right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you stay near Hase Station (\u9577\u8c37\u99c5) or Wadazuka Station (\u548c\u7530\u585a\u99c5) on the Enoden (\u6c5f\u30ce\u96fb), 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>; for the shrine it was moved to, see Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDate, Time and Viewing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Highlights | The Annual Festival Where Kamakura’s Hachiman Faith Began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Access | Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Basic Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n