Kamakura's Seven Entrances

The city of Kamakura, Kanagawa in Japan, is closed off on three sides by very steep hills and on the fourth by the sea: before the construction of several modern tunnels and roads, the so-called nihongo|Seven Entrances|, or nihongo|Seven Passes|七切り通し (all artificial) were its only links to the rest of the worldKamakura Shōkō Kaigijo (2008: 54-56)] . The city was therefore a natural fortress and, according to the Azuma Kagami, it was chosen by Minamoto no Yoritomo as his base specifically for this reason [http://www.kcn-net.org/kiritosi/index.htm Hiking to Kamakura's Seven Entrances and Seven Passes] , The Kamakura Citizen Net accessed on May 11, 2008 ja icon] . The name itself seems to have been modeled on that of nihongo|Kyoto's Seven Entrances|京都七口 -- sometimes translated as the seven "mouths," which first appears in the literature of the intermediate Muromachi period (around the year 1450).

While economically vital because they allowed traffic to and from the outside world, the Seven Passes had also great military value, and as such they were fortified in various ways, for example narrowing them further until a horse could barely pass through, and obstructing the view of incomers. The roads were also modified adding artificial cliffs and forts from which archers could hit enemies below.

The Seven Entrances

The Asaina Pass

's third son) built it by himself in one night. The falls near the Kamakura entrance to the pass, the nihongo|Saburō Falls|三郎滝, are also named after him [ [http://www.kcn-net.org/e_kama_history/juniso_jomyoji/juniso_jomyoji.htm Juniso/Jomyoji Area] by the Kamakura Citizen Net, accessed on June 2, 2008] . The whole pass has been declared a historical landmark.

The plaque on the Yokohama side of the pass says [Japanese text available [http://www.kcn-net.org/senior/tsushin/tsanpo/0308kiri/index.html here] ] :

Historical Landmark - Asaina Pass (June 5, 1969)
In 1240 the Kamakura shogunate ordered works to improve communications between the city and the important center of Mutsuura, and construction was started in April of the following year.

The Shikken Hōjō Yasutoki himself directed the work and carried stones and dirt with his horse to speed it up.

Mutsuura was then a center of salt production and an important port for the distribution of goods not only to and from Kantō centers like Awa, Kazusa, and Shimōsa, but also Korea and China.

Goods coming from various places arrived here by ship and entered Kamakura through this pass, making Mutsuura a location of great political and economic importance.

On both sides of the pass are still visible the remains of fortifications (artificial cliffs and flat areas) built to defend it.

On the south of the border with Kamakura lies Kumano Jinja, built to guard the city's unlucky north-eastern direction.

It is the steepest of Kamakura's Seven Passes.

The Yokohama International Travel Association
The Yokohama Committee for Education, Cultural Properties Department, March 1990

The inscription on the stele on the Kamakura side of the pass, near the Saburō Falls, has a very similar content [Japanese text available [http://www.kcn-net.org/sisekihi/asahina.htm here] ]

The Daibutsu Pass

Passing above today's Daibutsu Tunnel and through the localities of Kajiwara and Yamazaki, the nihongo|Daibutsu Pass|大仏切通 connected Kamakura to Fujisawa. Repaired many times in the period from the Edo period to the Meiji era, it has been declared a historical landmark.

The Gokuraku Pass

attack on Kamakura and saw therefore ferocious fighting.

The stele on the Pass says: [Japanese text available [http://www.kcn-net.org/sisekihi/gokuraku.htm here] :] :

"This place used to be a hill but Ninshō, the founder of Gokuraku-ji, had it flattened and opened this road. The so-called Gokuraku-ji Pass is this road. When in 1333 Nitta Yoshisada attacked Kamakura, the army's shoguns Ōdate Muneuji and Eda Yukiyoshi advanced with their forces along this road, and here they clashed with Kamakura's forces commanded by Osaragi Sadanao. This is the place where they camped and fought."

The Kamegayatsu Pass

The nihongo|Kamegayatsu Pass|亀ケ谷坂The ending "ヶ谷", common in place names and usually read "-gaya", in Kamakura is normally pronounced "-gayatsu", as in Shakadōgayatsu, Ōgigayatsu, and Matsubagayatsu] connected the area of Ōgigayatsu (north-west of today's Kamakura station) to Chōju-ji in Yamanouchi (Kita-Kamakura). Beyond the pass, the road joins the Kobukurozaka Pass near Kenchō-ji. Its name comes from the fact it's so steep a turtle wouldn't be able to go up without turning over. It has been declared a historical landmark.

The Kewaizaka Pass

Militarily extremely important, the nihongo|Kewaizaka Pass|仮粧坂 led to Fujisawa, then the road proceeded towards Musashi (today's Fuchū and Kokubunji area). Because of its strategic position, this is where Nitta Yoshisada's forces drove their main attack on the city. The pass saw fighting again in several occasions. It has been declared a historical landmark.

The stele on the Kamakura side says [Japanese text available [http://www.kcn-net.org/sisekihi/kewaizaka.htm here] ] :

"The name of the Kewaizaka Pass can be written with the characters "化粧坂" or "形勢坂". According to one theory the name derives from the fact that once the shogun of the Taira clan was captured and makeup [The characters in the name of the pass in Japanese mean "Makeup slope"] was applied to his severed head to make it easier to recognize. According to another, the name was born because a prostitute had her house at the bottom of the slope. In any case, in the Azuma Kagami the name never appears. This pass was one of Kamakura's Seven Entrances and was important in the defense of the city. Beginning with Nitta Yoshisada's invasion of 1333, it saw combat several times."

The Kobukurozaka Pass

The old road that from Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū leaves the new one, runs below it and rejoins it in Yamanouchi was built by the Hōjō Shikken. The modern road was built during the Meiji era. The nihongo|Kobukurozaka Pass|巨福呂坂 has been declared a historical landmark. This is another of the passes through which Nitta Yoshisada tried to penetrate into Kamakura in 1333 [ [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] .

The Nagoshi Pass

. Very steep and less that two meters across, its name was originally written with the characters 難通 ("difficult to pass") for this reason. The name of the area around it is now written with the same characters (名越), but called Nagoe. It has been declared a historical landmark.

The plaque on the Kamakura side says [Japanese text available [http://www.kcn-net.org/senior/tsushin/tsanpo/0308kiri/index.html here] ] :

"Once the Kamakura shogunate was established, to allow trade during peacetime and defense in case of war, it opened seven passes. The Nagoshi Pass still remains close to its original form. On the Zushi side, in several point along the road are still visible the remains of artificial cliffs added to complement the place's natural geography and ensure an easy defense.
March 1981, The Kanagawa Committee for Education"

Present condition of the Seven Entrances

Today's Kobukurozaka Pass is a modern, wide road that connects Kamakura to Kita-Kamakura and only traces are left of the old pass"鎌倉七口" article, Japanese Wikipedia, accessed on May 14, 2008] . The Gokuraku Pass is now also a road. More or less like they were before the Meiji era are the Daibutsu, Nagoshi, and Asahina Passes, while the Kewaizaka and Kamegayatsu Passes have changed, but are still recognizable.

The Shakadō Pass

Besides the Seven Entrances there is another great pass in the city, the huge nihongo|Shakadō Pass|釈迦堂切通 which connects ShakadōgayatsuThe ending "ヶ谷", common in place names and usually read "-gaya", in Kamakura is normally pronounced "-gayatsu", as in Shakadōgayatsu, Ōgigayatsu, and Matsubagayatsu.] to the Ōmachi and Nagoe (formerly called Nagoshi) districts. Although important, it was not considered one of the Entrances because it connected two areas both fully within Kamakura. The pass is presently closed to all traffic because of the danger posed by falling rocks.

Notes

References

* 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
* cite book
last = Kawano
first = Shinjirō
coauthors =
title = Chūsei Toshi Kamakura: Iseki ga Kataru Bushi no Miyako
publisher = Kōdansha Gakujutsu Bunko
date = 2005
location =
language = Japanese
id = ISBN 4-06-159713-2 cite web
url=http://www.kcn-net.org/kiritosi/index.htm
title=Kamakura Nanakuchi no Saka to Kiridoshi wo Aruku
last=Kamakura Citizen's Net
language=Japanese
accessdate=2008-10-10

External Links

* [http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ab9t-ymh/monogatari_folder/kama-ko1.html The Old Roads of Kamakura] ja icon
* [http://www.kcn-net.org/kamakura/tokusyu/nanakuti.html Kamakura's Seven Entrances] ja icon
* [http://www.ktmchi.com/rekisi/nkc_00.html Kamakura's Seven Entrances and Seven Passes] ja icon