Kashodo Hall

At Hokokuji Temple in Kamakura, the Kashodo Hall houses a 1347 wooden statue of the temple's founding priest Tengan Eko that survived the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake when much of the complex was destroyed. The statue's smooth contours make it appear to be clay. Beside it is a replica of a Kassapa Buddha in flowing red and blue robes; the original was lost in a fire in 1800. Sunday morning meditation sessions are held on the ground floor and are open to all, though classes run in Japanese. Behind the hall is a small rock garden believed to have been designed by Tengan Eko, with a carp pond and stream bounded by the temple's bamboo grove.