About
In a tranquil corner of Kamakura, the land of Mushizuka, embraced by lush green mountains, holds stories woven by the lives of people and nature since ancient times. This area once belonged to the former Kamakura District, and during the Nara and Heian periods, the district office was established here, allowing it to flourish as a regional center. Traces of that era still quietly linger today.
Around Mushizuka, there are scattered horizontal cave tombs called “yagura,” which were excavated from the late Kamakura period to the Muromachi period. These yagura were used as places for the funeral rites and memorial services of samurai, monks, and influential townspeople, and they convey Kamakura’s unique religious culture to the present day. In particular, more than 150 yagura are clustered in the nearby Nagoe Kiridoshi, telling of the faith and views on life and death held by people of that time.
Additionally, in this area, a traditional ritual called “mushi-okuri” (insect sending) was performed to drive away pests from rice fields. In this ceremony, straw dolls were regarded as the spirits of insects and sent off to the village boundary, embodying the prayers of people for a bountiful harvest. At night, torches were lit, straw dolls were placed on horses, conch shells were blown, and gongs and drums were sounded as the procession made its way to the distant mountains. This scene was both fantastical and a powerful expression of faith.
It is said that the name Mushizuka derives from these mushi-okuri rituals and from mounds built to memorialize harmful insects. By coexisting with nature and even memorializing pests, people expressed gratitude for nature’s blessings and sought ways to live in harmony with it. Standing on this land, it feels as if the wisdom and prayers of those ancestors can be heard carried on the wind.
Today, the area around Mushizuka has become a quiet residential neighborhood, but remnants of its history remain everywhere. Walking along the old roads, it is as if you can hear the footsteps of people from long ago, and standing before the yagura, you feel as though you are in a timeless place of prayer. Immersing yourself in the silence woven by history and nature in this place, a little removed from the bustle of Kamakura, you are enveloped by a sense of spiritual cleansing.
Mushizuka is a place where the history and culture of Kamakura, as well as the faith of its people, are condensed. For those who visit, this place where past and present intersect will surely evoke something deep within the heart.