Grass for my Feet: Visit to Kamakura

Like the Imperial Palace, another image of Japan that had been with me for many years is that of the Kamakura Buddha, so I was determined to see it on my first visit tpo Tokyo. The existence of a the Kamakura Buddha was clear evidence of how far Buddhism had spread to the East. This was important to someone from Sri Lanka.

Because no one was free on that day to travel with me, I risked the trip by myself, taking two local trains from Govindan's house to Tokyo and then taking the JR (Japan Railways) line to Kamakura. The day was nice, so I decided to walk the nearly 2 km. from the station to the statue. Although the neighborhoods were quiet and peaceful, and other visitors, mostly schoolchildren, were walking along with me, the walk soon turned painful because I was wearing new shoes. And the lack of signs in English was also a challenge although a couple of Japanese people helped me out by walking with me instead of merely showing the direction.

At first sight, the Buddha wasn't as large as I had imagined. I am used to seeing huge Buddha statues carved from rock, both upright and reclining, in the ancient cities of Sri Lanka. Kamakura, in contrast, is cast in bronze, and is 13.4 meters high, including the pedestal. Construction had begun in 1252 and continued for ten year. Having seen it at last, I spent quite some time, gazing at the benevolent countenance. All the time, I was surrounded y schoolchildren and some even spoke to me in English, quite surprising in Japan.

Kamakura is home to five historic temples and I took the bus to visit some of them. (At least two days would be needed to see them all.) By the 13th century, Kamakura had become the capital of Japan and the "political, military, diplomatic, and cultural center of the nation". Japan is said to have eagerly embraced Chinese culture during this period, from Zen religion and architecture to Buddhist sculpture and lacqureware.

On the recommendation of some locals, I decided to visit two temples, the unpronounceable Tsurugaokahachimangu and the Kenchoji. The stroll to the former temple was through a shady path and I made a quick visit to the nearby museum (somewhat disappointing) and to the lotus ponds (peaceful).

I then walked uphill to the Kenchoji Temple, passing this charming grove of trees on the way. Kenchoji consists of about seven main temples and some sub temples. They were not as colorful as the other temples.