Admission
Free
Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
At a Glance
At its peak in the late Kamakura period, nearly 1,000 monks lived here and the temple consumed 450-600 tons of rice annually—requiring such wealth that it sent trade ships to China to fund reconstruction.
Kencho-ji is the birthplace of kenchin-jiru, the popular vegetable and tofu soup that bears the temple's name and has become a staple of Japanese home cooking.
The temple's bronze bell, cast in 1255, is considered the most beautiful in all of eastern Japan and is designated a National Treasure.
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Free
When you arrive, drop off your goshuin book at the reception desk and get a numbered ticket. Pick it up after your visit to avoid waiting twice—there are multiple stamp options for 500 yen each.
Climb the stairs to Hansobo shrine at the far end of the temple grounds for spectacular views over Kamakura and access to the Tenen Hiking Course, offering a rewarding extension to your temple visit beyond the main worship halls.
Walking from Kita-Kamakura Station past Engaku-ji and Meigetsu-in, be careful on the narrow path by the busy road to Kenchoji. It’s only wide for single-file walking and needs extra attention to traffic.
Take time to view the powerful ascetic Shakyamuni statue in the main hall, which depicts Buddha during his period of extreme fasting and serves as a striking reminder of spiritual discipline that differs from typical serene Buddha images.
The temple has a large parking lot directly in front of the main gate charging 600 yen for the first hour and 300 yen per 30 minutes thereafter, which is quite reasonable for a major Kamakura tourist site and more convenient than street parking.
The main Buddha Hall (Butsuden) is under renovation with scaffolding until August 2027. You can still visit the Dharma Hall with its cloud-dragon ceiling painting, the ornate Karamon gate, and the garden behind the main hall.
17 recent visits and photo contributions
Maximilian Habsburg-LothringenPro shared 5 photos
Maximilian Habsburg-LothringenPro shared a goshuin
Fascinating facts about this place
At its peak in the late Kamakura period, nearly 1,000 monks lived here and the temple consumed 450-600 tons of rice annually—requiring such wealth that it sent trade ships to China to fund reconstruction.
Kencho-ji is the birthplace of kenchin-jiru, the popular vegetable and tofu soup that bears the temple's name and has become a staple of Japanese home cooking.
The temple's bronze bell, cast in 1255, is considered the most beautiful in all of eastern Japan and is designated a National Treasure.
Founded in 1253 as Japan's first Zen training monastery exclusively for Zen practice, it was established by inviting the Chinese monk Rankei Doryu directly from Song Dynasty China.
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