Jochiji Temple is located about an eight minute walk from the West Exit of JR Kita-Kamakura Station. Visitors walk east toward central Kamakura along a road.
The temple was founded around 1281. After Hojo Munemasa, the third son of Hojo Tokiyori, passed away at the age of twenty nine, his wife and his son Hojo Morotoki later the tenth regent of the Kamakura shogunate became the founders of the temple.
Just before the railway crossing of the JR Yokosuka Line, turning right to the south leads to a moss covered stone bridge marking the entrance to Jochiji Temple. Beyond the bridge, a stone staircase rises toward the Main Gate. Above the gate hangs the phrase Hoshozaikin, a Zen saying that conveys the idea that true treasures are found close at hand. The stone bridge itself is blocked by a bamboo barrier that marks a boundary and prevents passage. Visitors reach the staircase by following the narrow path on the right.
Halfway up the steps, a tree on the right side showed autumn colors in transition, with red edges on the leaves while the inner areas remained yellow.
Beyond the admission area stands the Bell Tower Gate. A bronze bell cast in 1679 hangs on the second level and is still in use today, making this gate a rare surviving example.
The main hall is known as Dongeden. The principal images enshrined here are Amida Nyorai, Shaka Nyorai, and Miroku Nyorai, representing the past, the present, and the future. The open space in front of the hall was completely covered with fallen ginkgo leaves, while the autumn foliage deeper in the grounds added a strong visual impression.
The temple grounds are explored in a clockwise direction. Passing beside the main hall, visitors encounter a garden that leads into a bamboo grove. A path carved beneath a cliff leads to the statue of Hotei. After paying respects, the route returns past the Tea Room and descends a staircase to the Study Hall building. From a room with open shoji screens, the trees of the garden seen earlier come back into view, where yellow autumn leaves once again leave a lasting impression.
December 17, 2025