Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine

Overview

Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine, known as Kamakura's premier spot for good fortune, is famous for its Zeniarai spring water, one of Kamakura's five famous waters. Money cleansed in this water is said to become blessed money, bringing prosperity to the family and ensuring the long and peaceful lives of descendants. Its founding is said to date back to the time when Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura Shogunate. Legend tells that a human-headed, serpent-bodied water deity, Ugafuku-shin, appeared in Yoritomo's dream, proclaiming that offering prayers to gods and buddhas using the spring water in this location would bring peace to the land. Following this divine message, Yoritomo built the shrine. Later, Hojo Tokiyori, the fifth Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate who inherited Yoritomo's faith, washed money in this sacred spring, praying for the prosperity of his clan, thus giving rise to the tradition of money washing. The shrine grounds are a tranquil world surrounded by the greenery of ancient trees, offering a place for both physical and mental rejuvenation. Highly popular as a power spot, as well as for its fortune-boosting powers, many people visit. If you're visiting Kamakura, be sure to stop by.