Meigetsuin Tomb Cave

Founded in 1160, Meigetsu-in in Kamakura is commonly known as the “hydrangea temple,” a scenic location highlighted with blue hydrangea blossoms during the plum rain season.

In addition to its beautiful gardens, the temple is also home to the largest yagura—a grotto-like tomb typical of medieval Kamakura, where hundreds of examples are known—in the city. Carved out of a mountain cliff, the cave opens up 20 feet long and 10 feet tall, a surreal sight among the maple leaves and bamboo.

Inside the burial grotto, visitors can see several rock-cut Buddhist sculptures weathered and overgrown with lichens over the centuries, which add to the mystical atmosphere of the site. The statues depict Nyorai deities and the Sixteen Arhats, surrounding a stone pagoda attributed as the grave of daimyo lord Uesugi Norimasa.