Yui Wakamiya Shrine

Yui Wakamiya Shrine, also called Moto Hachiman or Original Hachiman, is where the Hachiman faith first took root in Kamakura. It was founded in 1063 by military commander Minamoto no Yoriyoshi as an expression of gratitude after a victorious 12-year campaign in northeastern Japan. More than a century later, his descendant Minamoto no Yoritomo made Kamakura the seat of his warrior government and built Tsurugaoka Hachimangu as the city's spiritual center, but Yoriyoshi's smaller, original shrine was kept in place. The shrine remains on that same site today, a quiet counterpart to the far grander shrine that succeeded it.