Tokeiji Temple
Tokeiji Temple
4
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
This temple once served as a shelter for abused wives, who were able to divorce their husbands by staying here for three years.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
210 reviews
Excellent
65
Very good
99
Average
43
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Blank B
23 contributions
Dec 2019
This nunnery is a quiet break from the rest of Kamakura. It some of the most peaceful walking on moss covered cobblestone I've ever done. There's also a cave that you should definitely take the time to yell fun things into - like baka C:
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francois L
Land O Lakes, FL5 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
I visited this temple because of the book The Ninja Scrolls by Yamada Futuro and the role this temple played at the start of the story
The visit was beyond my expectations. Very different from many other Kamakura temples, small, few visitors, an amazing buddhist autel in the main building and a surprising cemetery deeply seated in the forest behind the temple
The story of this temple is unique (created during the Kamakura shogunate by a woman to protect women who wanted to divorce their husbands) and contributes to the experience
The visit was beyond my expectations. Very different from many other Kamakura temples, small, few visitors, an amazing buddhist autel in the main building and a surprising cemetery deeply seated in the forest behind the temple
The story of this temple is unique (created during the Kamakura shogunate by a woman to protect women who wanted to divorce their husbands) and contributes to the experience
Written August 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mari w
Fujisawa, Japan62 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
Tokeiji is very short walking distance from Kitakamakura station. You climb some stairs to the entrance and pay 200 yen. The temple grounds are narrow, and you keep thinking you've reached the end, but the grounds continue into the mountain. The grounds are perfectly manicured with many different flowers in season. Some flowers, I'd never seen before. There are a lot of stairs to climb, so this is not the temple for you if you don't like stairs.
The temple is famous historically as a divorce temple. From the 13th-19th C, a time when women could not divorce their husbands, they could escape to a temple sanctuary like this one and become a nun for 3 years after which they were granted a divorce. During that period, men were not allowed into the Tokei Temple grounds. After the Meiji restoration, a male priest from Engaku Temple (across the JR railroad tracks) became the head of Tokeiji, and it became a regular Zen temple.
What I found most interesting about this temple was the cemetery, where perhaps 100 families are buried. The official website gives a list of the famous Japanese people buried here. Suzuki Daisetsu may be the only one familiar to Westerners for his dissemination of Zen to the West. However, what I found interesting was the variety of gravestones; one was a mound of dirt and stones shaped like a beehive. There was also a grave of Japan's first Olympic Gold medal winner (for 3 step jump). Several of the sites had stone boxes with a narrow slot for business cards, presumably so family members could see who had visited their departed ones. There's also a pretty bamboo grove.
I didn't visit their museum, which costs extra. Open 8:30 AM- 4 PM (-5 in summer months). Looks like they hold periodic zen meditation sessions. As some other reviewers say, it's a perfectly nice temple with more flowers than most other temples in the area, but unless you're a women's rights advocate or history buff, I don't think the temple is that special.
The temple is famous historically as a divorce temple. From the 13th-19th C, a time when women could not divorce their husbands, they could escape to a temple sanctuary like this one and become a nun for 3 years after which they were granted a divorce. During that period, men were not allowed into the Tokei Temple grounds. After the Meiji restoration, a male priest from Engaku Temple (across the JR railroad tracks) became the head of Tokeiji, and it became a regular Zen temple.
What I found most interesting about this temple was the cemetery, where perhaps 100 families are buried. The official website gives a list of the famous Japanese people buried here. Suzuki Daisetsu may be the only one familiar to Westerners for his dissemination of Zen to the West. However, what I found interesting was the variety of gravestones; one was a mound of dirt and stones shaped like a beehive. There was also a grave of Japan's first Olympic Gold medal winner (for 3 step jump). Several of the sites had stone boxes with a narrow slot for business cards, presumably so family members could see who had visited their departed ones. There's also a pretty bamboo grove.
I didn't visit their museum, which costs extra. Open 8:30 AM- 4 PM (-5 in summer months). Looks like they hold periodic zen meditation sessions. As some other reviewers say, it's a perfectly nice temple with more flowers than most other temples in the area, but unless you're a women's rights advocate or history buff, I don't think the temple is that special.
Written June 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
El_Pablito
Krakow, Poland213 contributions
The temple is small and look pretty similar to the other ones in Kamakura, but step in the backyard and you'll find pretty nice, old zen cemetery, located in a shady forest. Ask staff for grave of D.T. Suzuki - famous Zen master who was the first who popularized Zen teachings on the West at the beginning of XX century.
Written May 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sean L
Kobe, Japan5 contributions
Oct 2014 • Solo
I visited this small temple as part of a Kamakura tour with Tokyo Way. The group went to Tokeiji after visiting the nearby Engakuji. This smaller temple is a companion temple, originally opened by Engakuji's head monk's wife. The temple itself is rather small, but it has a wonderful history as one of the only Women Shelters in Edo Japan. Women could flee their abusive husbands, and the temple would protect them. If they lived and worked in the temple for a few years, the shogunate would then grant them a divorce and they could return to their birth families. The buildings of the temple aren't very spectacular, but in the back area of the temple grounds is the most serene and beautiful ancient cemetery. I would recommend, however, visiting the temple in the spring, since its garden is reportedly very beautiful, though I didn't get to witness it myself.
Written November 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
skyisblu
Montreal, Canada2,516 contributions
Sep 2013 • Couples
The real hidden treasure at Tokei-ji temple is the gorgeous wooden cemetery towards the back of the temple grounds. It's amazing to see how everything is built around nature, as opposed to nature growing around the family graves and footpaths. It's an excellent place to contemplate centuries of nature. The temple is quite beautiful in its simplicity, as well.
Written October 28, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MKMapman
Milton Keynes, UK1,734 contributions
Nov 2012 • Solo
The Tokei-ji temple is much smaller than the nearby Enjkaku-ji complex, and not really worth the admission fee to the casual visitor. Famous for its gardens (as well as the ability for ladies to have historically petitioned it for a divorce), November was probably the wrong month to visit, with very little still in flower - just a few straggly chrysanthemums.
Written December 23, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carloscharmy
Bangkok, Thailand780 contributions
Jul 2023
Tokei-ji temple in Kamakura is a captivating destination with a unique feature—the hauntingly beautiful graveyard. This historic temple served as a sanctuary for women seeking divorce during feudal times. The serene cemetery, adorned with moss-covered tombstones, evokes a sense of tranquility and reflection. A remarkable place that intertwines history, spirituality, and natural beauty
Written July 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rie s
Tokyo Prefecture, Japan169 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
Known as the divorce temple, it was a place where women (who had few rights then) seeked refuge. The cemetary/garden is very quiet and a good place for a walk. For more on Tokeiji and Kamakura, refer to "hiddenjapanguide".
Written January 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeeMoreLiveMore
Singapore, Singapore513 contributions
Sep 2017 • Solo
This is one of the smaller temples with beautiful grounds to walk in. It is also far quieter, and hence, a good break from the other more crowded places here.
Written October 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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