Originally another temple, Eian-ji, stood in close proximity to Zuisen-ji, built and dedicated to the memory of Ujimitsu after his death in 1398. On February 10,1439, the fourth Ashikaga regent Mochiuji, on the betrayal of his plans, committed suicide in this temple together with over thirty of his retainers. On that tragic day, the battle raged fiercely in Kamakura and unhappily a strong wind fanned on the flames that were the inevitable feature of these conflicts. It is recorded of this calamity that many temples and vast numbers of dwellings perished in the holocaust.
The wife of the ill-starred regent, with many of her attendant lathes, had taken shelter in the three-storied tower of Zuisen-ji, but it was impossible to avert their doom: the tower caught fire and all the unhappy fugitives were burnt to death. The two little princes alone had managed to escape, but as a sequel to this disaster the Ashikaga family entirely disappeared for nine years. At the end of that time the family was forgiven and Mochiuji's son Nariuji returned to take up his quarters in Kamakura. However in 1445—while Nariuji was officiating as kanryō—he was attacked by his too-powerful representative, and from whose violence he fled to Koga in the north of Japan. This feud caused the termination of the office of governor of Kamakura, a fact that materially conduced to the decline of the city.
Just within the entrance gate of Zuisen-ji is a newjizo-do. This small structure is a recent erection, the opening ceremony having taken place on June 26, 1916. It was built to enshrine a fine old statue of Jizo—a standing figure sculpted in dark wood; this image dates back from the Kamakura period and is considered a representative example of the art of that age. Upon either side are ranged six small figures of pugilistic demeanor, armed with various weapons: these are the twelve Shinsho, or guardian ministers of Yakushi Nyorai, the god of wisdom and healing. These valuable images have only recently been acquired by the temple. In past times there were twelve vassal shrines attached to the temple of Hachiman, but at the Restoration these buildings gradually fell into decay and disappeared. At that time the statues were acquired by a resident of Kamakura named jimbei Yoshimura; he presented them to Zuisen-ji and the Jizo-do was erected under his auspices.
An interesting fact in connection with this temple is that for a time its tranquil seclusion afforded a shelter to the celebrated patriot and martyr Yoshida Shoin, whose uncle was then officiating as head priest of Zuisen-ji (a celebrated scholar named Chikuin). Some writings of the former are still preserved as treasures of the temple—mementos of his loyalty to the imperial cause and of his tragic fate.
This young samurai was an ardent loyalist. When the American envoy Townsend Harris came to Shimoda for the second time in 1859 to conclude the commercial treaty between Japan and America, Yoshida Shoin was deeply incensed that the treaty was concluded by the shogun's minister, Ii Naosuke, the emperor's authority being practically ignored. With a little band of enthusiasts (the translation of whose motto means "Revere the sovereign, expel the barbarians") they determined to attempt to overthrow the shogunate. with that end in view, Yoshida resolved in spite of the national edict that meted out death to any japanese subject who should leave the empire, to go abroad secretly in order to make a careful study of foreign customs and methods.
His preparations were made at Zuisen-ji. One dark night he attempted to conceal himself on board one of the American ships of the Harris expedition, but was discovered, and the Americans gave notice to the Tokugawa government at Edo. Orders were promptly issued for his arrest; he was seized and beheaded at the early age of twenty-eight, many of his associates suffering the same fate.
Nevertheless, this little group of talented and ardent patriots have been described by historians as the real motive force that led up to the Restoration of 1868.
Footnotes
* Alas, this living relic has since perished.
** The site of the lake is now occupied by the original rock garden, restored in 1970.
Kamakura Shrine
THIS IS the only temple in Kamakura of modern foundation. It was constructed as recently as the year 1869 by order of the emperor Meiji, and is of pure Shinto architecture. Prince Morinaga, to whom the shrine is dedicated, was formerly the head priest of a temple on Hiei-zan, near Kyoto, and was also known as Daito-no-miya from the name of his place of residence. A stone bridge spanning a small stream gives access to two courtyards, shaded with a grove of pines, maples, and many cherry trees.
On the right-hand side of the upper court is a building enclosed within a high dark palisade. This sanctum was specially erected as a rest-house for the emperor Meiji when he visited this shrine in 1873. It consists of a wide matted verandah with two rooms—the apartment on the right contains the raised dais upon which His Majesty reposed. The tokonoma is decorated with an interesting work of art in the shape of a life-sized and vigorous equestrian statue of Prince Morinaga, in which the spirit of medieval times is well reflected. The ill-fated prince is clad in picturesque armor, equipped with a case of arrows, and grasping a long bow. This carving was the work of a modern sculptor, Kisai Yamada, and was executed in 1893.
Kamakura Shrine is of historic and tragic interest, for here the unfortunate Prince Morinaga, third son of the emperor Go-Daigo, was imprisoned for seven months in a dark cavern behind the temple and there cruelly assassinated in 1335 at the age of twenty-seven. This gallant prince had been the mainstay of the revolution which had for its object the overthrow of the military government and the restoration of the imperial ascendancy, which had been divested of all power by the military rule at Kamakura. However, the crafty and ambitious Takauji (who became the first Ashikaga shogun), realizing that the prince was a serious obstacle to his design of establishing himself at Kamakura as the military governor and practical ruler of the empire, conspired to poison the emperor's mind against his own son, and falsely concocted a plot to the effect that the innocent Prince Morinaga was scheming to depose his imperial parent and to usurp the throne in his stead. Unhappily, the emperor Go-Daigo was over-susceptible to the influence of his advisers, and, lending a ready ear to these sinister reports, in November 1334 he caused a warrant to be issued for his son's arrest.
In answer to the accusation, Prince Morinaga inscribed a pathetic appeal to the parent whose cause he had so loyally served, and passionately asserted his innocence. He concludes with the following words:
"In spite of all this I have unwittingly offended. I would appeal to heaven, but the sun and moon have no favor for an unfilial son. I would bow my head and cry to the earth for help, but the mountains and rivers do not harbor a disloyal subject. The tie between father and son is severed and I am cast away. I have no longer anything to hope for in this world. If I may be pardoned, stripped of my rank, and permitted to enter religion, there will be no cause for regret. In my deep sorrow I cannot say more."