One of the best known temples in Kamakura is the Hongaku-ji Temple, belonging to the Nichiren Buddhist Sect.
Little known is the fact that before the construction of the present-day Temple, on the same place there was a Shrine dedicated to Ebisu, one of the Seven Gods of Luck (Shichifukujin), God of good fortune, commerce and fishing.
The Shrine was built by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, to protect and to bring prosperity to the area which, at the time, was a commercial district.
In 1274, after returning from the exile on Sado island, Nichiren lived here for six weeks.
The Temple was built later, in 1436, by the priest Nisshutsu, a follower of the Nichiren Sect.
The present-day Ebisu Hall was built in 1981, in order to commemorate 700 years since the death of Nichiren. The building has a beautiful and unusual octagonal shape.
Every year on January 10th, a festival dedicated to Ebisu takes place here, and the place is frequented by merchants, praying for prosperity and success in business.
