Zeniarai-Benten Shrine, Kamakura
The Zeniarai-Benten Shrine is a bit more out of the way than the other Kamakura temples and shrines, but could be worth the trip in more ways than one! According to traditional belief, if you wash your money in spring water in a small cave on the shrine grounds, it will double or triple itself later on. (Zeniarai means "coin washing.")
Zeniarai-Benten is dedicated to Benten, the Shinto goddess of good fortune. Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura government, ordered the shrine's construction after a god appeared in his dream and recommended he build the shrine in order to bring peace to the country.
Because the dream occurred on the day of the snake in the month of the snake of the year of the snake (in the Asian zodiac), the shrine was later also dedicated to Benten, a Buddhist goddess associated with snakes. The shrine is especially popular (and effective) on the day of the snake.
| Category: | Shinto shrine with Buddhist connections |
| Location: | 20-minute walk west of Kamakura Station, Kamakura, Japan. The shrine is next to the hiking trail which connects North Kamakura with the Great Buddha. |
| Phone: | 0467/25-1081 |
| Hours: | Daily 8am to 5pm |
| Cost: | Free |
- Frommer's Tokyo, 8th ed.
- Tsurugoaka Hachimangu - Japan-Guide.com
More Information
- Kamakura Tourism - TripAdvisor
- Kamakura - Japan-Guide.com
