Yuigahama

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Yuigahama Beach (由比ヶ浜海岸) is a beach near Kamakura, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. At about the center of Kamakura's beach the Namerigawa (なめりがわ) river forms an estuary. The eastern half of the beach is called Zaimokuza Beach, the western Yuigahama Beach.

Kamakura first became a sea resort during the Meiji Era, and Natsume Soseki's Kokoro made it famous. Legally speaking, the neighboring center of Yuigahama came into being between 1964 and 1965 and was named after the beach. Before, it was divided between Zaimokuza, Ōmachi, and Hase.

There are different theories about the origin of the name. One says that it means "to help each other". Another says the name derives from that of a former owner called Yuigo (由比郷). However, the use of the name Maehama (前浜) for this area during the Kamakura Period is also documented.

When known as Maehama, the area was used to practice martial arts such as Ogasagake (小笠懸). It became a battlefield in 1180 at the time of the battle between Miura Yoshizumi and Hatakeyama Shigetada, and again in 1333 for the battle between Nitta Yoshisada and the defence forces of the Hōjō. Human bones of the era are still occasionally found during excavations.

[edit] Historical landmarks

The Ichi no Torii, first of Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine's three gates, dating back to the 11th century, and rebuilt in the 17th.
The Tomb of Hatakeyama Shigeyasu
The Hase-dera Buddhist temple
The Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in