Ju-oh-iwa

Through the northern area of Kamakura runs the Ten-en Hiking Course, a three-mile-long mountain trail that connects Kenchō-ji and Zuisen-ji temples. Just a short hike away from the Hansōbō portion of Kenchō-ji, a storied rock called Ju-oh-iwa offers a panoramic view of the whole city.

Ju-oh-iwa literally means “Ten Kings Rock” and refers to the Ten Kings of Hell, a group of judges in afterlife. Sure enough, near-faded as they are, one can still discern the images of three figures on the rock: En’ma Daiō, Kannon, and Ksitigarbha.

The figures have also been nicknamed Wameki Ju-oh, or the Bellowing Ten Kings, after the strange noises they are said to make. Unless it was a supernatural phenomenon, this must have been caused by a wind passing through the cracks or something like it.

Despite its association with afterlife and the abundance of medieval rock-cut tombs in Kamakura, the Ju-oh-iwa is more likely to have been a planned landmark, one serving as a border between two “worlds” at that, than a makeshift burial site.

This theory would make the rock the de facto and spiritual starting point of the Wakamiya Ōji Avenue, a major street of the city since its days as the nation’s capital. It can be clearly seen below the Ju-oh-iwa amid a panorama of Kamakura, running from Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shrine to the sea. The view is considered one of the best in the city.