Inamuragasaki

nihongo|Inamuragasaki|稲村ケ崎 is a cape at the western end of Yuigahama (Beach) in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The cape divides Yuigahama from Shichirigahama (Beach) and Enoshima. Its name seems to stem from its shape, similar to a stack of rice at harvest time (an nihongo|"inamura"|稲叢). At its foot on the Kamakura side there is a park, the nihongo|Inamuragasaki Park|稲村ケ崎公園.

History

Because the ancient Tōkaidō highway passed along the sea south of this cape before heading to the Miura Peninsula, before the opening of the Gokuraku Pass Inamuragasaki was the traditional point of entry to Kamakura at the time of the Kamakura shogunate. Now crossed by a road (see photo), it used to be impassable by land and was therefore one of the natural defenses that made Kamakura an impregnable fortress. For this reason, it appears often in the historical record. It's first mentioned in the Genpei Jōsuiki because the Miura clan in 1180 crossed it twice to go rescue Minamoto no Yoritomo at the battle of Ishibashiyama . The troops didn't arrive in time, Yoritomo was defeated and the Miura had to go back the way they had come.. The cape then appears in the nihongo|Kaidōki|海道記 because its author in 1223 passed it to enter Kamakura. Inamuragasaki is also mentioned in the Azuma Kagami, the Man'yōshū, the Heike Monogatari and the Taiheiki, although the first two call it with its old name, nihongo| Mikoshinosaki|見超の崎•水超の崎•御輿が崎. Finally, Nitta Yoshisada made it immortal in Japanese culture bypassing it to enter Kamakura during his successful invasion of 1333 which brought the Kamakura shogunate to an end. For this reason, it has been nominated a Historical Site by the Japanese governmentKamiya vol. 1 (2008:236-238)] .

forces managed to stop them [ [http://www.kcn-net.org/e_kama_history/komachi_yukinoshita/area1_2.htm Komachi/ Yukinoshita/ Nishimikado] by the Kamakura Citizen Network, accessed on September 15, 2008] . Judging it impossible to enter by land, Nitta decided to try bypassing Inamuragasaki.

The Taiheiki version of the events

According to the "Taiheiki", on the night before the attack Nitta watched from the top of a hill the enemy camp and its defenses closing the Gokuraku Pass, then the beach, blocked by heavy fortifications. He knew that the sea was guarded by hundreds of enemy ships. Looking at nearby Inamuragasaki, he threw his sword into the surf, prayed to the sea-god and asked for its help. The sea retreated by twenty "chō" (a mile), taking the Hōjō navy away and leaving ample space for his forces to penetrate. The stele at nihongo|Sode no Ura|袖の浦, the tiny bay west of Inamuragaki, says [Original Japanese text available [http://www.kcn-net.org/sisekihi/inamura.htm here] ] :

666 years ago on May 21, 1333 [Old Japanese lunar calendar date. Gregorian date obtained directly from the original Nengō using [http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/geschichte-japans/nengo_calc.htm Nengocalc] : "July 3, 1333 (Genkō 3, 21st day of the 5th month)"] Nitta Yoshisada, judging an invasion on land to be difficult, decided to try to bypass this cape. This is the place where, according to tradition, he threw his golden sword into the waves, praying the sea-god to withdraw them and let him pass. (Stele erected in 1917)

In 1993, however, Japanese historian Susumu Ishii, after examining and comparing historical records and the results of recent surveys, declared that the date given by the Taiheiki must be wrong, and that the likely day of entry of Nitta's army must have been June 30, 1333 [Gregorian date obtained directly from the original Nengō using [http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/geschichte-japans/nengo_calc.htm Nengocalc] : "June 30, 1333 (Genkō 3, 18st day of the 5th month)"] .

What historians believe happened

Minamoto no Yoritomo went to Inamuragasaki because of an archery contest that was going to take place on its beachMutsu (1995:247)] . Recent scientific surveys "in situ", taken into account present tide levels and estimated tide levels in 1333, confirm that Nitta's army could have entered Kamakura through Inamuragasaki exploiting a low tide.

Notes

References

* cite book
last = Mutsu, Iso
first =
coauthors =
title = Kamakura. Fact and Legend
publisher = Tuttle Publishing
date = 1995/06
location = Tokyo
language = English
id = ISBN 0804819688
* cite book
last = Kamiya
first = Michinori
coauthors =
title = Fukaku Aruku - Kamakura Shiseki Sansaku Vol. 1 & 2
publisher = Kamakura Shunshūsha
date = 2008
location = Kamakura
language = Japanese
id = ISBN 4774003409
* cite book
last = Kamakura Shōkō Kaigijo
first =
coauthors =
title = Kamakura Kankō Bunka Kentei Kōshiki Tekisutobukku
publisher = Kamakura Shunshūsha
date = 2008
location = Kamakura
language = Japanese
id = ISBN 978-4-7740-0386-3