history
Minamoto Era
Hojo Era
Ashikaga Era
Post Muromachi Era
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History of Kamakura (4) - Post Muromachi Era
Thereafter, Japan entered the age of civil strife nationwide and Kamakura gradually lost its importance politically as well as militarily. In the mid 15th century, a nearby warlord invaded Kamakura setting on fire and almost all of major buildings were burnt down. From then onward, Kamakura kept on downward spiral becoming a rural and lonely old village. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), the Tokugawa Shogunate gave financial supports to a handful of temples and shrines, but not enough.
In the early Meiji Period (1868-1912), Kamakura was a remote, deserted rural country inhabited only by farmers and temple/shrine people. A photo taken near the Wakamiya Oji main street back then shows most of the area were covered with rice paddies, and totally different from what we see today.
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Yokosuka Line
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However, the opening of the Yokosuka Line in 1889 (the year when the Eiffel Tower in Paris was constructed) linking Tokyo to Kamakura brought a dramatic change. Kamakura got into spotlight again, not as the capital this time but as a resort town. Celebrities such as writers, painters, artists, doctors, professors and the snob began to build houses here as summer resorts since Kamakura had a convenient beach facing the Bay of Sagami. Population continued to grow and the city is now densely populated with 170,000 people in less than 40 square kilometers. In summer, a multitude gather here for bathing. Today, Kamakura draws more than 20 million sightseers a year and the city is preparing to apply to the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee for the city being registered as a World Heritage Site .
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