Kenchoji Temple
By Andrew Liyan · Last updated: October 16, 2026
Kencho-ji is the Zen temple to pick if you want one large complex, the dragon ceiling and an optional climb to a view, and it is the easier of the two Kita-Kamakura temples to reach from central Kamakura. Its main image is unusual for a large temple: Jizo, because the valley was an execution ground before Kencho-ji was founded in 1253. Arriving by JR with a morning to spare, see Engaku-ji as well.
- Area
- Kita-Kamakura, Kamakura
- Best For
- Zen Buddhism, Historic architecture, Viewpoint climb, Zazen
Visiting Kenchoji Temple
Kencho-ji was founded in 1253 by the regent Hojo Tokiyori, with the Chinese monk Rankei Doryu (Lanxi Daolong) as its first abbot. The temple describes itself as the first temple in Japan to call itself a Zen temple: a training monastery for Rinzai Zen alone, at a time when most large temples combined several schools. It ranks first among the Kamakura Gozan, the Five Great Zen Temples, and is head temple of the Kencho-ji branch of Rinzai Zen, which includes Hokoku-ji, the bamboo temple in eastern Kamakura.
Photo: "Kencho-ji Temple @ Kamakura" by Guilhem Vellut, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; resized
The site sits on the road between Kita-Kamakura and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. That position is what decides most visits: Kencho-ji is about 15 minutes on foot from Kita-Kamakura Station, about 10 minutes by bus from Kamakura Station, and about 2 minutes by bus from the shrine. You can reach it without going to Kita-Kamakura at all.
The main buildings stand in a straight line, the plan the temple copied from the great Zen monasteries of Song China: the outer gate, the Sanmon, the Buddha hall, the Dharma hall and the abbot's quarters. Several came from elsewhere. The Buddha hall was built between 1624 and 1644 at Zojo-ji, the Tokugawa family temple in Edo, and donated in 1647, which is why it is far more richly decorated than a typical Zen hall. The outer gate and the abbot's quarters were moved from a Kyoto temple in 1940.
Behind the abbot's quarters, an optional climb leads to Hansobo, the temple's guardian shrine. Whether you make it decides whether this is a 30-minute visit or a longer one.
Kencho-ji, Engaku-ji or both?
Short answer
On a Kita-Kamakura morning, see both: they are about 15 minutes apart on foot. With time for only one, choose by where you start and what you want from the visit. The Engaku-ji guide compares the two temples side by side.
- Arriving by JR from Tokyo or Yokohama
- Get off at Kita-Kamakura and see both, Engaku-ji first. Its Kita-Kamakura route continues past Kencho-ji to the shrine.
- Starting from Kamakura Station or the shrine
- Kencho-ji alone. A short bus ride from either brings you to the gate, so you skip the trip out to Kita-Kamakura and back.
- Hase or the Great Buddha in the afternoon
- Kencho-ji in the morning, then back to Kamakura Station for the Enoden. Adding Engaku-ji costs most of an hour more, by our estimate.
- You want a view
- Kencho-ji, with the Hansobo climb. On clear days the platform beside the shrine looks over the Kamakura coast to Mount Fuji.
- You want National Treasure architecture
- Engaku-ji, whose relic hall is a National Treasure building. Kencho-ji's main halls are Important Cultural Properties; its National Treasure is the 1255 temple bell.
- Steps are difficult
- Kencho-ji. It says wheelchairs can go as far as the Karamon gate and lends wheelchairs. Engaku-ji does not describe a step-free route, and its halls climb up a valley.
How much of Kencho-ji to see
Short answer
The main halls take about 30 minutes, the time Kamakura's tourism association allows in its model route. Hansobo is the decision: about 250 steps and roughly 15 minutes up, then the walk down. Past the shrine the path becomes a separate hiking trail.
About 30 minutes
The main halls
Outer gate, Sanmon, the 760-year-old juniper, the Buddha hall, the Dharma hall with the dragon ceiling, the Karamon gate and the garden behind the abbot's quarters.
About 250 steps
Up to Hansobo
A winding path behind the garden, passing twelve carved crow tengu, reaches Kencho-ji's guardian shrine in about 15 minutes, according to the Japan Tourism Agency's description. The platform beside it looks over the valley, and over the coast to Mount Fuji on clear days. Hansobo has its own seal desk.
180 more steep steps
The higher viewpoint
A steep stairway beside the shrine climbs to a higher lookout, and you come back down by the same steps. Optional.
A separate hike
Beyond Hansobo
The path continues as the Tenen hiking course toward Zuisen-ji. It is an unpaved trail, slippery after rain, and Kamakura's tourism association warns of hornets from summer into autumn. This guide does not cover it.
What you are looking at on the main axis
Short answer
The halls line up from the road to the abbot's quarters, and each has a story the temple tells: a gate from Kyoto, a Buddha hall from the Tokugawa family temple in Edo, and a ceiling dragon painted in 2003.
Somon (outer gate). Built in 1783 at Hanju-zammai-in in Kyoto and moved here in 1940. The plaque, Kofukusan, the temple's mountain name, was written by Issan Ichinei, the tenth abbot.
Sanmon. The two-story main gate, rebuilt in 1775. Its upper floor enshrines Shaka Buddha and the arhats; passing under it symbolizes leaving attachments behind.
The juniper. Grown, the temple says, from seeds the founder brought from China, and about 760 years old: 13 meters tall, 6.5 meters around the trunk.
Butsuden (Buddha hall). Built 1624 to 1644 at Zojo-ji in Edo and given to Kencho-ji in 1647; the gilded ceiling and carved panels reflect its Tokugawa origin. The principal image is Jizo, unusual for a large temple, because the valley was an execution ground before 1253. The wooden statue dates from the 15th century and is about 2.4 meters tall, roughly 4.8 meters with its pedestal.
Hatto (Dharma hall). Rebuilt in 1814 and the largest Dharma hall in the Kanto region. The cloud dragon on the ceiling was painted by Koizumi Junsaku for the temple's 750th anniversary in 2003; the principal image is a thousand-armed Kannon.
Karamon and the abbot's garden. The lacquered Karamon gate was built in 1628 for a Tokugawa mausoleum at Zojo-ji, came here with the Buddha hall and was restored in 2011. Behind the abbot's quarters, the garden credited to the founder has a pond shaped like the character for heart, 心; it was renovated in 2003 and is a National Place of Scenic Beauty.
Things to Do at Kenchoji Temple
Sit zazen on a Friday or Saturday
Public zazen runs every Friday and Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, usually in the abbot's quarters. It is free beyond admission and needs no booking, but you must be seated 15 minutes before the start; latecomers cannot join. Sessions are sometimes cancelled for temple events (in 2026 on 23, 24, 30 and 31 October), so check the temple's notices first.
Find the twelve crow tengu
The path to Hansobo passes twelve carved crow tengu, attendants of the guardian deity. Hansobo was brought here in 1890 from Hoko-ji in Shizuoka, where its image was said to have survived a fire, which is why it is prayed to for protection from fire.
Collect two seals
Kencho-ji has a seal desk to the left inside the outer gate and a second at Hansobo, ¥500 each. At the main desk you hand in your book after paying admission and collect it on the way out.
Look up at the Buddha hall ceiling
Most visitors notice the dragon in the Dharma hall. The Buddha hall next to it has a gilded ceiling of auspicious birds, part of the decoration it brought from the Tokugawa temple in Edo.
How to Get to Kenchoji Temple
Kencho-ji is on the main road between Kita-Kamakura Station and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, so you can arrive from either end.
From Kita-Kamakura Station
About 15 minutes on foot toward Kamakura, past Engaku-ji. By bus, take the Enoden bus bound for Kamakura Station to the Kenchoji stop, 3 to 5 minutes.
From Kamakura Station
Enoden buses bound for Ofuna from the East Exit reach the Kenchoji stop in about 10 minutes. On foot it is about 30 minutes, along the road past the shrine.
From Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
The Enoden bus from Hachimangu-mae to Kenchoji takes about 2 minutes. Heading the other way after your visit, the same bus brings you back to the shrine.
From Tokyo, Yokohama or Shinjuku
JR Yokosuka Line trains from Tokyo and Yokohama stop at Kita-Kamakura, one station before Kamakura, as do Shonan-Shinjuku Line trains from Shinjuku that run toward Kamakura and Zushi. Get off at Kita-Kamakura if you are walking in, or ride on to Kamakura if you plan to take the bus.
By car
The temple car park in front of the outer gate holds 20 cars and opens 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM; it cannot be reserved. It costs ¥600 for the first hour, then is charged in 30-minute steps.
Best Time to Visit Kenchoji Temple
Friday or Saturday afternoon if you want to join zazen (3:30 PM); June and autumn for the path up to Hansobo.
Hydrangeas flower along the path up to Hansobo.
Maples line the path up to Hansobo. The temple also airs its treasures for a few days each year around the start of November (in 2026, 31 October to 2 November, ¥300 extra), the same days Engaku-ji opens its relic hall.
Entry Fee & Hours
| Category | Price (JPY) | Approx. (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (high school and above) | ¥500 | ~$3.50 |
| Elementary / junior high | ¥200 | ~$1.50 |
Cash only. Hikers who enter from the trail pay the same admission.
- •Admission is cash only. Visitors with a disability certificate and one companion enter free.
- •Wheelchairs can go as far as the Karamon gate; the temple lends wheelchairs (limited number) and has a barrier-free toilet. Hansobo is reached only by steps.
- •Tripods and monopods are not allowed anywhere in the grounds.
Nearby Attractions
Kencho-ji sits between Kita-Kamakura and the shrine. For Meigetsu-in in June, see the Engaku-ji guide; Tokei-ji has no guide on this site.
Engaku-ji Temple
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
Komachi Street
Kencho-ji from central Kamakura
For travelers based on the Kamakura Station side who want one Zen temple without going out to Kita-Kamakura. The Kita-Kamakura version, starting at Engaku-ji, is on the Engaku-ji guide. Times are from the temple and Kamakura's tourism association.
Bus up, halls and Hansobo, back to the shrine
About 2 to 2.5 hours with the climb and bus waits; about 1.5 hours without the climb.
Start
Kamakura Station East Exit: Enoden bus bound for Ofuna to Kenchoji, about 10 minutes.
Main halls
From the outer gate along the axis to the abbot's garden, about 30 minutes.
Optional climb
Hansobo, about 250 steps and roughly 15 minutes up; the higher viewpoint is 180 steep steps more. Turn back here if the steps are slippery or you are short of time.
Next
Enoden bus from Kenchoji to Hachimangu-mae, about 2 minutes, for Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, about 40 minutes there.
Finish
About 10 minutes on foot to Kamakura Station, along Wakamiya Oji or Komachi Street.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
View references
Kencho-ji
Japan Tourism Agency
Kamakura City Tourism Association
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