Yakumo Jinja (八雲神社)

The entrance of Yakumo Jinja

In the Omachi District of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, stands the Yakumo Shrine (八雲神社), a Shinto shrine known as the oldest yakuyoke (warding off evils or bad luck) shrine in Kamakura.

The shrine is said to have been founded during the Eiho era when Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (源義光), also known as Shinra Saburo (新羅三郎), stopped by Kamakura during his journey to Mutsu Province to assist his elder brother, Minamoto no Yoshiie, in the Gosannen War.  Upon hearing the news of Kamakura's plight with a plague, Yoshimitsu enshrined the kami of Gion-sha from Kyoto, renowned for its yakuyoke properties.  Following fervent prayers, the plague settled, and since then, the shrine has been revered as "Gion-sama (祇園さま)."

Yakumo Shrine (八雲神社)

Historical records show the shrine's mikoshi was carried to the kubo's residence for a ceremony when Ashikaga Shigeuji held the position of Kanto kanrei* during the Muromachi period.

During the Sengoku period, Hojo Ujinao, the castellan of Odawara Castle, issued a proclamation imposing severe penalties, even on high-ranking individuals, for any disrespectful behavior towards the shrine's festivals and ceremonies.

In 1604, Tokugawa Ieyasu granted the shrine land valued at 5 kanmon of Eiraku-sen.

During the Meiji Restoration, the shrine underwent a name change from Gion Tenno-sha to Yakumo Shrine.

The shrine currently enshrines the kami of Susanoo-no-Mikoto (須佐之男命), Inadahime-no-Mikoto (稲田比女命), Hachioji-no-Mikoto (八王子命), and the ancestral spirits of the Satake clan (佐竹氏), known as Satake-shi no Mitama (佐竹氏の霊).  The Satake clan is believed to trace its lineage back to Yoshimitsu.

Oiwa Inari-sha, Inari Jinja, and Suwa Jinja

To the left of the haiden of Yagumo Shrine stand the subordinate shrines of Suwa Jinja (諏訪神社), Inari Jinja (稲荷神社), and Oiwa Inari-sha (於岩稲荷社).

Mitake Mitsumine-sha

Behind Yagumo Shrine, on the right, stand the torii, sando, and shrine building of another subordinate shrine, Mitake Mitsumine-sha (御嶽三峰社).

Adjacent to Mitake Mitsumine-sha lies the entrance to the Gion-yama Hiking Course (祇園山ハイキングコース).

To the southwest of Yagumo Shrine stands the Hozo-in (寶藏院) or Homotsu-den (宝物殿), which houses numerous artifacts and mikoshi.  While normally closed, visitors are permitted to view its contents through the front windows.

Mikoshi and artifacts inside the Hozo-in

Along the sando, near the first torii, stands a koshin-to designated as a cultural property by the city of Kamakura.

Koshin-to

* Alternative sources suggest that Ashikaga Shigeuji's position was referred to as Kamakura Kubo or Kanto Kubo, with the role of Kanto Kanrei falling under it.  Additionally, some references indicate that the title Kamakura Kubo was synonymous with Kanto Kanrei.