銭洗弁天神社のお守り A Charm from Zeniarai Benten Shrine

The first thing people say when they see this omamori, if they say anything: "Is that the triforce?"

Well, yeah, it looks just like the triforce, a symbol from the Zelda video game series. But I think the Buddhists have dibs on it first. Actually, not even the Buddhists. The triforce symbol here is a kamon, or Japanese crest, of the powerful Hojo family. In the Zelda games, its the symbol of the three goddesses that created the Hyrule universe, the three triangles representing power, wisdom, and courage.

Anyway, the Zeniarai Benten Shrine is filled with the Hojo family kamon. (The full name of the shrine is Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine, but WHO wants to write that out?) Zeniarai Benten Shrine is well worth the visit, if you can find it. You approach the shrine through a tunnel in the rock. It's famous for its spring, one of the sacred springs of Kamakura. I don't know when the shrine was built, but the traditions associated with the shrine began in the thirteenth century at the latest. People believe that washing money in the shrine will help it multiply, so many wash yen bills and coins in reed baskets and let it dry out.

The shrine is a mixture of Buddhist and Shinto elements. Incense, traditionally Buddhist, is burned there, and the Shinto goddess worshipped at Zeniarai Benten Shrine is believed to have been originally a Buddhist deity. During the Meiji period, many shrines and temples that mixed purposes and characteristics between the religions were separated, and this shrine is one of the few that remains an amalgamation. Dark caves, trickling water, incense, and enthused crowds.

Of course, I picked out this omamori because of the triforce kamon. But you can also buy blessed wallets, change purses, and other omamori to protect your money. Happy shopping.

鶴岡八幡宮のお守り A Charm from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

If you've gone to Kamakura and seen only two sites, chances are you visited the Daibutsu in southern Kamakura and the shrine in the city. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, called Hachimangu for short, is the shrine in the city. Bright and colorful in the summertime, in order to get to the main shrine you have to pass through a promenade of shops and stalls. Definitely lots of fun.

This important Shinto shrine was founded in 1063, but moved by Minamoto Yoritomo during the Kamakura Shogunate. The last of the Minamoto was murdered beneath the gigantic ginko tree near the shrine, bringing the famous Kamakura Shogunate to an end. I've heard this ginko tree was uprooted in a storm last year. I hope it's okay.

This is a fairly basic omamori. Nothing special. It has the Hachimangu crest on the front, and I'm keeping a sticking with the name on the back so I don't forget. I like the lovely green color of the cord and the omamori itself. I think it goes nicely with the gold of the bell and the trim.

佐輔稲荷神社のお守り A Little Fox from Sasuke Inari Shrine

This omamori is special to me, even though it doesn't come from a major shrine. After visiting Hase Temple and the Daibutsu, I still had plenty of time to dedicate to the rest of Kamakura, and I decided to do the Daibutsu Hiking Course. The hiking course goes along the mountains and hits many secluded temples and shrines. I started from behind the Kamakura Daibutsu and began walking through the woods along the path.

The path was muddy and unkept. I walked for a long time and enountered nothing. I left the path along another path thinking it would be leading to my first temple, and all I found was spider webs the size of dinner plates. After some frustration, I came back to the muddy path and continued trudging onwards. Since I was by myself in the middle of the woods and there wasn't a person in sight, I was talking to myself. I do that.

Then suddenly I heard something through the bushes. I panicked, and froze, and then prayed out loud that it wasn't a bear. Please let it not be a bear. As I turned the corner with my breath held, I saw a little old Japanese man with a walking stick. Pointing to a muddy slope, he told me it was slippery and to be careful.

I was invigorated after meeting another human being on the trail and I continued on with a lot more energy. The first shrine I came to was Sasuke Inari Shrine. I had to leave the main hiking trail, and as I approached the shrine I saw miniature white fox statues of all kinds in trees and holes in the rock. The shrine itself was little, but I was terribly excited to finally get some where.

Sasuke Inari Shrine was founded during the fourteenth century, I think, by Minamoto Yoritomo after he received advice in a dream for defeating his enemies. In gratitude, he built this shrine for the vision.

After visiting this first shrine, I continued along the hiking course, coming across more and more shrines and temples as I went.

This charm is very simple, certainly the least flashy of the three Inari shrine omamori I own. It's plastic and doesn't even have the name of the shrine, but I'll always remember it's story.

長谷寺のお守り A Charm from Hase Temple

Hase Temple, or Hasedera, just might be the most beautiful temple in Kamakura. During the summer, the dozens of different breeds of hydrangea bloom on the slopes. You can walk on paths on the slopes, look at the flowers, and the phenomenal view of the city. This charm is a hydrangea bell, and I chose it because of the design.

Hase Temple is a Jodo-shu site. It's one of the most important religious places in Kamakura. The Kannon statue inside is one of the largest wooden statues in Japan. It's gilded in gold, and there are eleven heads each symbolizing different routes to find enlightenment. The caves at Hase Temple are dedicated to the sea goddess, Benzaiten.

鎌倉大仏のお守り A Charm from the Kamakura Daibutsu

The Kamakura Daibutsu, or Great Buddha, is a massive bronze Buddha statue built in 1243 after ten continuous years of construction. The temple is a Jodo-shu (Pure Land) place. People know of the Kamakura Daibutsu by that name alone, but the statue is located at Kotokuin. Actually, in 1243 there was a wooden Buddha on the site, but it was destroyed and then the priest suggested that the replacement statue be made of bronze instead. It's said that the statue was covered in gold. Then the hall was destroyed twice, by storms in the fourteenth century, sweeping away the wooden hall. The last wooden building in the complex was destroyed by a tsunami in the fifteenth century. The wooden hall was never replaced after that.

It's hollow and about forty-four feet high. I got to go inside the statue and see how it was put together. The first time I went to Kamakura it was pouring down rain, and we rushed inside for shelter. We huddled inside listening to the pitter patter of the rain.

My second trip to Kamakura in 2010 (when I purchased this omamori) was very different. I had arrived in Japan the evening before, and because of the letlag I woke up very early. I jumped on a 5:30-6AM train from Tokyo to Kamakura. I visited Kotokuin first because it was the firs to open and watched the monks as they laid oranges and grapefruits in front of the statue. I stayed for over an hour taking pictures before moving onto Hase Temple.

葛原岡神社のお守り A Shuttlecock from Kuzuharaoka Shrine

When I started photographing my Kamakura series, this was the first charm I picked up. Leave it to me to choose one of the more obscure charms. I couldn't remember the name of the shrine I found it at. I could dimly picture the front of the shrine in my head. I couldn't read the name of the shrine on the little coin attached to the charm, and even after consulting every major shrine and temple tourist list in Kamakura, no options popped up that could possibly by a reading of the characters on the tag. Then, finally after plugging in a few characters that I DID know, a random Japanese flickr account had photos and the name written alphabetically: Kuzuharaokajinja. Or Kuzuharaoka Shrine.

I remember Kuzuharaoka Shrine because of a nice little travel memory. After completing the exhausting Daibutsu Hiking course, I reached a stream of temples and shrines, all of which I visited. Most of the time you shuffle through a complex and look at the little curiosities that the old site has to offer, and that's it.

I remember walking down a road where many elderly Japanese had gathered, perhaps a tourist group, to do the hiking course from my end point to the other side. Mostly everyone was prepping their water bottles (I was envious of their clean tennis shoes) and I sniggered at them because the hiking course was a long, muddy mess and they obviously had no idea what there were in for. It was also noon by then, and Kamakura was starting to heat up. Muggy, muddy, and humid. As I rested on a park bench, I noticed an old man sitting in front of a shrine with a collection of charms and I got up to go and talk with him.

I was interested in the charms, and he seemed happy to talk with me and put up with my Japanese. He eagerly explained that the black shuttlecock form was unusual. This charm with a black body had an assortment of little colorful bells hanging from the body. To most Americans who don't know much about badminton (that sport like tennis with a volleyball net) the shuttle cock is the little feathered ball that the players knock back and forth. He also explained that the name for the form, mukurokuji, is a play on the word black (kuro), and the traditional omamori form name. I then bought one and put it in my bookbag.

After my adventure rediscovering the shrine's name, as well as the memory from that table in front of the shrine, I will not forget Kuzuharaoka Shrine. Especially as a collector.

Anyone traveling to Kamakura and interested in charms should make a point to visit and purchase the black shuttlecock mukurokuji.

円覚寺のお守り A Charm from Engakuji