There aren’t that many places that are as serene and peaceful as Hokokuji Temple. And I’m saying this having spent time around a number of temples and gardens in Japan. Is there more to it though? Well, continue reading for my thoughts on this temple in Kamakura (I recommend you also read about my visit on Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shrine).
Hokokuji Temple’s Bamboo Forest: A Serene and Peaceful Place to Walk
This was probably one of the more modest gates of any temple that I’ve visited on this Japan trip. It’s pretty simple though still massive. I’m not too sure but the large memorial/stone monument on the foreground says something about this being a Zen Buddhist temple.
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A sign talking about Hokokuji’s history. Apparently, it started out in 1334 as the family temple of the Ashikaga and Uesugi clans with Tengan Eko serving as its founding priest. The sign also talks about what has made the temple famous over the years: its bamboo gardens.
Near the gate, you’ll find these signs showing the opening and closing times of the temple. Like most temples in Japan, Hokokuji is open daily except from the 29th of December up to the 3rd of January. Of course, due to the buildings here being quite old, smoking inside the temple complex is actively discouraged.
Another sign that’s worth reading is this one about Takuma. It’s interesting to note that this area actually was named after the Takuma school of Buddhist painting rather than a noble or someone from the warrior class. To be fair though, this wasn’t an ordinary school of painting as it was noted for its service to the Kamakura shogunate.
Now inside the temple grounds, I came across another sign further detailing the rules in place here. Most of the rules are to be expected but if you’re not familiar with Japan then you might balk at the prohibition of selfie sticks and tripods. This is very common here as these camera equipment are very disruptive and could possibly cause damage to the surroundings here if not handled carefully.
Here’s a look at the garden after going inside the temple’s gate. My immediate thought was that this truly was a Zen garden considering how the use of pebbles in the landscaping. Also, since this visit was during the winter, a lot of the trees here unfortunately didn’t have their leaves. With the sky being overcast though, I didn’t really worry about getting sunburned.
This tree was particularly eye-catching because of how decrepit it looked. I tried to search online and found that it might be a Madala tree which I’m not really confident is the case. That said, just underneath the tree is a Buddha statue (possibly Shakya Nyorai) so maybe this is a fig tree? (And in case you want to see a really big Buddha statue here in Kamakura you should go to Kotoku-in)
Anyway, I continued walking and couldn’t help but be amazed at how clean and well-maintained this path is. I imagine this place would be even more scenic once the spring and summer seasons set in.
At first I wondered what this was. It didn’t seem like a memorial or a monument. Moreover it didn’t have any inscription written on it to describe its purpose. Then I remembered one of the core principles of Zen Buddhism is balance and this could be alluding to that.
Much like with a lot of Buddhist temples, Hokokuji also has its fair share of Jizo Bodhisattva statues. Now I’ve been to a lot of these temples and I’d always wondered why these statues have red bibs and caps. So it turns out, the red bib is a reflection of these statues’ role as protectors. In Buddhist (and the broad East Asian) tradition, the color red is significant because it’s associated with warding off evil.
Now we’ve reached the steps to Hokokuji Temple. According to the sign here, the current steps were actually renovated just recently (in 2024). Looking at the steps now, it does look like it’s newer than the masonry on the ground.
I was actually ready for a rough climb like at Hase-dera but as it turns out, the temple is much more accessible. You can actually clearly see the temple from the bottom of these steps.
Once I reached the top I decided to wander around before heading to the temple. There’s a pathway to the left (as you’re facing the temple) that I checked out. Like much of the trees and greens in the temple, these seem like they’ve seen much better days. Again, this was taken in the winter so it is understandable why they’d look this way.
Opposite the area of the previous picture, I found this statue featuring what seems like another Shaka Nyorai this time surrounded by other Bodhisattva. This was also my first glimpse of the bamboo that this temple has become known for.
As I moved forward, I then came across what looked like stone lanterns. The way they seemed to be haphazardly placed here honestly made them look peculiar which also made me feel eerie when I was near them.
A few steps later I then saw a taller version of these stone lantern-like structures. It turns out, these are called gorinto or five ringed towers and used mainly as memorials. I’m not sure who these are for but I did try to search online and found that they might be for those slain during the battle of Hojo and Nitta during the Genko War.
And just to the right of the gorinto, there’s a bell tower or shoro that is quite unique. Unlike most of the buildings here in the temple grounds, this one has a thatched roof. Apparently, this is what the buildings here used to have before they were renovated.
Here’s a closer look at the bonsho with the temple’s information/reception area for the bamboo garden in the background. The bonsho or bell is said to have been made in the mid-1700s and it actually survived even the Great Kanto Earthquake that hit Japan in 1923.
Here’s another view of the shoro as well as a clearer view of the information/reception area. On the foreground, there’s also a sign that points to the Bamboo Garden which can be accessed through an entrance just beside the information/reception area (after you’ve paid for admission of course).
Before I went to the Bamboo Garden, I took another, much closer picture of the entrance to the Main Hall itself. If I’m not mistaken, the sign up top just says Hokokuji Zenji. Remember when I said the shoro survived the Great Kanto Earthquake? Well apparently, the main hall didn’t. As a result, what you’re seeing now is a reconstruction. This also explains why the shoro looked noticeably older than the other buildings in this area.
When I talk about Zen gardens, I typically think of pebbles and sand. From what I understand, these pebbles are the symbols for bodies of water in a Zen garden with rocks then serving as mountains. Together with other elements such as wood and plants, these form a visual representation of nature.
After contemplating around the garden for a minute or two, I then headed to the reception area for the garden. While entrance to the Hokokuji Temple grounds is free, the same can’t be said for the Bamboo Garden area. As such, you’ll need to pay an entrance fee of JPY400 if you just want to admire what the garden has to offer. For the complete experience though, you’re going to want to pay another JPY600 (total JPY1000) and get a matcha ticket for the tea ceremony.
Having paid for admission, I then proceeded to the Bamboo Garden through this entrance. Again, this is just beside the admissions/reception office. They’re not quite visible on the picture, but you’ll be able to see the bamboo from here.
This is the first thing you’ll see as you step out of the entrance. I must admit, this particular tree’s aesthetic is actually quite impressive. It’s not that large but it’s bare branches provide a really stark contrast to the greenery of the bamboo grove in the background.
A close up view of the tree with the steps leading to the bamboo grove in the background. At this point I was really curious as to what tree this is and I guess it might be a sakura or cherry blossom considering the place is known to have these trees around.
This is the wall opposite the tree. Look closely as this tree has unusual stems. I’m not sure what tree this is or how they were able to manage to make it look like that.
I will say this, the picture doesn’t do justice to this place. The air here seems so fresh for some reason. Coupled with the rustling of the bamboo, I actually felt somewhat at peace.
Honestly, I really wanted to go straight up to the bamboo grove at this point. However, I still needed to check on something.
I turned to the left (facing the stairs) and came across another set of stairs. This is actually the one I’ll use to enter the bamboo grove. The stairs earlier will then be where I exit. For now though, I still won’t be entering since I want to check the garden at the back of Hokokuji Temple.
I’ve finally reached Hokokuji Garden and the first thing I see is its pond covered in netting. This is likely to ensure the leaves don’t fall on the pond and drastically change the water’s pH level.
And now the garden is coming into view. What I like about this shot though is the background showing the cliff face from a small hill. I think that’s still part of the temple grounds though I’m not a hundred percent sure if visitors are allowed to go up there.
And now we have the view of the garden as it connects to the back of Hokokuji Temple. This looks much like a typical Zen garden with the circular patterns on the raked gravel. It should be noted though that there’s a barrier here from my vantage point so I was unable to set foot in the garden.
The more I look at this particular view of the garden, the more the analogy of the gravel being water and the rocks/stones being land makes sense. Additionally, the patterns on the raked gravel can then represent the waves of the water. Would you look at that? I kinda understand Zen Buddhism now (though admittedly, still at a surface level).
Now it’s time to proceed to the bamboo grove. I went with the second set of stairs I saw earlier and marveled at how high the bamboo here is. And it’s not just they’re high, these bamboo are also quite large. I’d wager the circumference of one of these is even wider than a regular person’s hand.
While I was following this path, I decided to research more on these bamboo. I found out that they’re called Moso Bamboo and they’re actually the largest temperate bamboo. I also found out that there are a number of bamboo types and temperate is just one of them. Temperate bamboo simply means bamboo that can survive colder weather/climates.
I can finally see a clearing where there seems to be a memorial and some statues. While it might seem like I’ve been walking around for a while now, it’s actually been just a couple of minutes since I left the garden. In fact, if I turned to my right, I could still see it (along with the back of Hokokuji Temple).
As I reached the clearing, I came across these Jizo Bodhisattva. Judging by the flowers here, it seems like they’re still pretty much venerated by the visitors and pilgrims who come here.
Now this was actually kind of spooky. I couldn’t get near the area to take close up pictures but I did manage to ask around. So it turns out, this is actually a memorial for the Ashikaga clan.
Close by the Jizo Bodhisattva is a stone pagoda with a stone relief of who I think is Shaka Nyorai.
Considering the proximity to the final resting place of the Ashikaga, I have every reason to believe that this memorial is for them. With that said, I really can’t make out what the inscription says here so I might end up being wrong.
Here is a rather thick concentration of Moso Bamboo. It’s actually quite impressive how they manage to diffuse the sun’s light.
Another view of the path I’m currently on. Maybe because it was winter but during this time, there weren’t that many people here. However, I did read and hear that this place could get really busy during peak season (which is sometime during spring or when the cherry blossoms start falling).
Another reason why smoking is not allowed here. I can just imagine how fast a fire can spread with this much kindling lying around.
Though it isn’t pictured, from this point, I can vaguely see the outline of a building in another clearing. Before I can get there though, I would still need to follow this path. Thankfully, the walk here is so serene and calming that I really wasn’t in that much of a hurry.
Here’s another stone lantern with a slightly different design than the ones I saw earlier. Just a couple of steps after this, there’s another set of Jizo Bodhisattva. Now I’m quite unsure if there was a memorial in this place. When I checked online there really weren’t that many sources talking about these specific statues.
If you paid for the JPY1000 admission then you’ll get to enjoy a matcha here in this humble abode in the middle of the bamboo grove. I’m sure vegans and vegetarians will love this place just like they will love dining at Onari Yokocho which is also here in Kamakura. I will say this, the place is so inviting. I was still a couple of feet off when I took this picture and I already felt the place beckoning to me.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a JPY1000 ticket so I was unable to sit here with these other visitors. Looking back on this picture now, maybe this is why there weren’t that many visitors on the path. They probably were all here enjoying a warm cup of matcha.
I went ahead and followed the path back to the first set of stairs that I saw when I entered the Bamboo Garden. The walk to get here was definitely much more relaxed and I found I was much more optimistic afterwards.
I’ve now reached the bottom of the stairs and the entrance where I came into the garden is now in sight. I admired this tree again for the last time and then proceeded to the exit.
After exiting, I headed to the walkway beside Kashodo Hall and found these steps leading down to the gate. There’s also a pathway there on the side which leads to Kashodo Hall’s 1st floor and another set of stairs leading up.
I followed the stairs down and took the left turn to the pathway only to find this when I tried going up the other set of stairs. This is a tome-ishi or stopping stone and it’s strategically placed in areas such as this to guide movement to other areas or as a deterrent. Seeing as this was a dead end, I headed back to the gate and concluded my visit to Hokokuji Temple.
My Hokokuji Temple visit was still memorable. I just love how calming this place was. It definitely wasn’t perfect thanks to just how small it is (relative to other temples I’ve visited). It kind of felt a little lacking though I know most people would love that it won’t take half a day to go through what it has to offer. Overall, Hokokuji Temple was okay. I wouldn’t say it’s a must-visit location but if you happen to be in Kamakura (but for me you should definitely go to Kamakura Kokomae Station!) then it might be worth checking out at the very least.
