Meigetsu-in

What is Meigetsu-in?

Meigetsu-in, formally known as Fugenzan Meigetsu-in, is a Buddhist sanctuary belonging to the Kencho-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. Located in Kita-Kamakura, it is popularly called Ajisai-dera, or the Temple of Hydrangeas. The temple's primary sacred figure is the goddess Sho Kannon, also known as Avalokitesvara. Visitors explore quiet grounds featuring lush hydrangea plantings alongside historic stone monuments and cave tombs. The complex preserves traditional Zen landscape design, including a karesansui dry garden composed of gravel, rocks, and foliage arranged to depict legendary Mount Shumi. It also holds the Kame no I, celebrated as one of Kamakura's ten historic wells.

The history of Meigetsu-in

The sanctuary was founded by Uesugi Norikata, taking its name from his posthumous title. Completed in 1394, the building originally served as guest quarters for Zenko-ji, an influential Rinzai Zen complex ranked among the ten leading Kanto temples. Zenko-ji was dissolved in the Meiji era during government-led anti-Buddhist suppression known as Haibutsu kishaku. Meigetsu-in survived the closures and preserved valuable heritage, including a thirteenth-century wood likeness of clan founder Uesugi Shigefusa. Dressed in Kamakura-era dignitary robes, the figure is designated as a National Treasure.

What there is to see

The temple grounds contain several distinct architectural and landscape features. A large artificial cave known as a yagura, carved directly into the adjacent hillside, ranks as the biggest of its type in Kamakura. Inside this cavern rests a stone memorial tower believed to mark Norikata's resting place. Nearby lies the burial site of Hojo Tokiyori. Across the grounds, hydrangea shrubs line the walking paths. Temple caretakers introduced these flowering bushes in modern times, selecting them primarily because the plants thrive easily in the local soil.

When to go

Meigetsu-in serves as an active Zen worship site where visitors pay respects to Sho Kannon and explore Kamakura's cultural heritage. Travellers reach the grounds by taking the JR Yokosuka Line to Kita-Kamakura Station. From the station, a marked walking route follows the train tracks southward on the left side toward Kamakura for approximately ten minutes, leading down a side lane to the entrance gates.

Why Meigetsu-in matters

The temple carries deep ties to the medieval Uesugi lineage and the Zen monastic hierarchy of old Kamakura. Although modern visitors associate the grounds primarily with its flowering hydrangeas, the site reflects classical Buddhist cosmology through its dry gravel garden modeling Mount Shumi. Its preservation of the Uesugi Shigefusa portrait and ancient cliff-cut tombs highlights the religious and political history of the Kamakura period.

The flowers of Meigetsu-in

HydrangeaFlowering shrubs with large heads that change color with soil pHBigleaf HydrangeaA Japanese shrub with large pink or blue flower heads that change colour with soilMountain hydrangeaA compact shrub with blue or pink lacy flower clusters from Korea and JapanOakleaf hydrangeaA woodland shrub with cone-shaped white flower clusters and oak-like leaves

Plan a visit

🇯🇵 Kamakura · JuneHydrangea temples of KamakuraIn the rainy season, temple paths in Kamakura are lined with blue and violet hydrangeas.

Questions people ask about Meigetsu-in

Good reading and sources

• Official websiteOfficial site

• Meigetsu-in on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data