The Emergence of Medieval Borders in Kamakura: Sacred Space of Tsurugaoka Hachimangū

Using the Azuma kagami as my guide, I consider the newly established capital of Kamakura from the vantage point of the border zones around Tsurugaoka Hachimangū at the city center. Tsurugaoka was a ritual space for ceremonies dedicated to the buddhas and kami, and the Hōjōe was the most prominent of these ceremonies. This was also the space where the capital city was constructed. This Tsurugaoka shrine-temple complex was a key center for performing arts dedicated to the native kami, where professional performers would gather. Their social interactions are illustrated in the Tsurugaoka Hōjōe shokunin utaawase, a picture scroll depicting a fictive poetry match among the artisans at the Hōjōe. The “Entry into Kamakura” scene in the Ippen hijiri e pictorializes the border by showing the itinerant holy man Ippen being turned away by force at the border of Kamakura but later succeeding in transcending the border through a performance. Masks were used in religious performances such as the Mukaekō held at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman, which was Ippen’s intended destination. Such masks and the memory of their performances live on today in the popular Menkake Gyōretsu that is held on the city’s border and brought to life by performers.