Gokurakuji Temple

Gokuraku-ji is the only temple of the Shingon-Ritsu sect in Kamakura and was founded in 1259 by the regent Hojo Shigetoki. The austere Ritsu lineage combined esoteric Shingon practice with classical Vinaya monastic rules and ran from here a social network with hospital, pharmacy and bathhouse, all documented archaeologically. The compound has been destroyed by fire and earthquake several times, but the present main gate and statues of several bodhisattvas date back to the Kamakura period and are listed as Important Cultural Property of Japan. The honzon main figure, a Shaka Nyorai statue from 1268, is shown to the public only once a year between 7 and 9 April. The temple sits right by Gokurakuji station on the Enoden tram line, whose wooden station building is famous among fans as a filming location for the Slam Dunk manga adaptation. Old cherry trees flower at the entrance in spring.