Spring in the Ancient Capital: Kamakura Tradition

The historic city of Kamakura lies about 1 hour south of Tokyo by train. At the end of the 12th century, Kamakura was chosen to be the administrative capital by the samurai warlord Minamoto no Yoritomo. There are many corners of the city that evoke the time when Kamakura first flourished. Every year in April, a major festival is held in Kamakura. One of the highlights are a dance performance re-enacting a historical episode that took place 800 years ago. The shogun, Yoritomo, had fallen out with his younger brother, Yoshitsune, who fled the city on pain of death, leaving behind his lover, a court dancer called Shizuka-gozen. Forced to perform for the shogun, she expressed through her dance her undying love for Yoshitsune. To this day, local dancers recreate this tragic episode from Kamakura's early history. Another cultural tradition with a long history in Kamakura is the local style of lacquerware. Known as Kamakura-bori, it dates back to the days of the master craftsmen who carved the statues and altar surrounds in the Buddhist temples in the city's golden age. On this edition of Journeys in Japan, Rosa Yum returns to Kamakura to explore the city further. She meets a young dancer who will perform the famous dance, Shizuka no Mai. She also visits a lacquerware workshop where the 29th generation owner is the first woman to become the head of the family business.