A young girl was crossing over the arched bridge over the garden pond at Shomyo-ji Temple

Flat bridge and Arched bridge at Shomyo-ji Temple

Shomyo-ji Temple in Yokohama is a family temple of the Kanesawa Hojo Clan, one of the Hojo Clan families that succeeded the regent of the Kamakura Shogunate. It is said to have been founded by Hojo Sanetoki, the founder of the Kanesawa Hojo clan, and has a history of about 800 years. Within its precincts are not only the Red Gate, Niomon Gate, Kondo Hall, and Shakado Hall, but also a Pure Land-style garden. In its heyday, it was a large temple with seven halls, including a three-story pagoda.

But times change. The Kanesawa Hojo clan fell and the temple lost its major backing, and Shomyo-ji declined significantly during the Edo period (1603-1868). The current garden was restored in the 1980s based on the 'Shomyo-ji Picture Map' drawn in 1323. Now that the temple has declined, Kanazawa Bunko, a library established by the Kanesawa Hojo clan, the temple's patron, is probably more famous than the Shomyo-ji temple itself. Documents and other items collected by the Kanesawa Hojo clan during the Kamakura period are preserved in the Kanagawa Prefectural Kanazawa Bunko, located next to Shomyo-ji Temple, which has now become a museum. Hojo Sanetoki, who was also the founder of Shomyo-ji Temple, was a cultured person who apparently collected various books. While valuable items are still stored in the Kanazawa Bunko, many of them seem to have been scattered over a long period of time. It is said that the collection was also taken out by famous historical figures such as Ieyasu Tokugawa and Tsunanori Maeda, so one can only imagine how many valuable books were kept in the library.

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