Zaimokuza
Encyclopedia
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
Pref., in Japan that runs along the sea from Cape Iijima near Kotsubo
Kotsubo
Kotsubo is a small fishing village in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is half way between Zushi and the old Japanese capital of Kamakura...
harbor to the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Namerigawa
Namerigawa, Kanagawa
The is a river that goes from the Asaina Pass in northern Kamakura, Kanagawa to the beach in Yuigahama, for a total length of about 8 km. Although Yuigahama is in fact the name of the entire 3.2 km beach that goes from Inamuragasaki to Zaimokuza's Iijima cape, the name is usually used just for its...
. The relation between the beach's name and that of its neighboring areas is complex. Although Yuigahama
Yuigahama
is a beach near Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The relation between the beach and its neighboring areas is complex. Although Yuigahama is in fact the entire 3.2 km beach that goes from Inamuragasaki, which separates it from Shichirigahama, to Zaimokuza's Iijima cape, which...
is in fact the entire 3.2 km beach that goes from Inamuragasaki
Inamuragasaki
is a cape at the western end of Yuigahama in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The cape divides Yuigahama from Shichirigahama and Enoshima. Its name seems to stem from its shape, similar to a stack of rice at harvest time...
to Zaimokuza's Iijima cape, the name is usually used to indicate just its half west of the Namerigawa river, while the eastern half is called . This is the reason why, although the beach gives its name to only the west part of the beachside area, traces of the name Yuigahama can be found also in Zaimokuza (for example in Moto Hachiman
Moto Hachiman
is a small but very old and historically important Shinto shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa Pref., Japan.-History:Although officially called , this tiny shrine in Zaimokuza is universally known as Moto Hachiman , and in front of its torii stands a stele with the words...
's official name, Yui Wakamiya).
Minamoto no Sanetomo
Minamoto no Sanetomo
Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third shogun of the Kamakura shogunate Sanetomo was the second son of the founder of the Kamakura shogunate Minamoto no Yoritomo, his mother was Hōjō Masako, and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie.His childhood name was...
, planning a voyage to China, allegedly had a big ship built here, but then couldn't sail it because of Sagami Bay
Sagami Bay
Sagami Bay , also known as the Sagami Gulf or Sagami Sea, lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshū, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while the...
's shallowness. Zaimokuza during the Kamakura period was a busy port of call for the commerce of lumber, and through it passed much of the material for the construction of Kamakura's famous temples and shrines. This is in fact the origin of its name: Zaimoku means lumber, and za
Za (guilds)
The ' were one of the primary types of trade guilds in feudal Japan.- Origins and purpose:They grew out of protective cooperation between merchants and temples and shrines; merchants would travel and transport goods in groups, for protection from bandits and the vacillating whims of samurai and...
was the guild of timber merchants and craftsmen of the area who served businessmen and temples. When the tide is low, at the west end of the beach are still visible the remains of Wakae Island
Wakae Island
is an artificial island, the oldest in Japan, now in ruins. The name means "Waka Bay Island" from Waka, Zaimokuza's old name . Its remains are located at the east end of Zaimokuza Beach near Kamakura and are still visible at low tide...
, the oldest artificial island in the country and the harbor that served both Zaimokuza and Kamakura.
Historical landmarks
- Wakae IslandWakae Islandis an artificial island, the oldest in Japan, now in ruins. The name means "Waka Bay Island" from Waka, Zaimokuza's old name . Its remains are located at the east end of Zaimokuza Beach near Kamakura and are still visible at low tide...
or Wakaejima - the remains of a medieval harbor - Moto HachimanMoto Hachimanis a small but very old and historically important Shinto shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa Pref., Japan.-History:Although officially called , this tiny shrine in Zaimokuza is universally known as Moto Hachiman , and in front of its torii stands a stele with the words...
, the original location of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū - Kōmyō-jiKōmyō-jiKōmyō-ji is the name of numerous Buddhist temples in Japan.Below is an incomplete list: in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture. in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture....