Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine

A hillside shrine in Kamakura brings Benzaiten, the deity associated with water and prosperity, together with the serpent deity Ugafukujin. Its enclosed cave spring is the focus of a familiar money-washing devotion.

Local devotion associates the cave spring with purification and money that attracts further prosperity. Washing expresses this belief rather than a financial guarantee.

The approach passes through a tunnel into the shrine grounds. The cave and washing area are parts of a working place of worship, with baskets and ritual supplies available through the shrine.

Local tradition traces the shrine to a dream of Minamoto no Yoritomo. Ugafukujin directed him to a spring whose water would bring wellbeing, and Yoritomo established a place of worship there. Kamakura’s municipal account places this dream in 1185 and associates the later money-washing custom with Hōjō Tokiyori. These are the shrine’s transmitted founding and devotional stories; they should not be read as proof of the age of every surviving building.

Visitors use the shrine’s baskets to wash coins or notes in the cave spring, then offer prayers within the shrine precinct. Follow the shrine’s directions for the water and ritual supplies.

The accounts explain why devotees come. Belief in an answered prayer is part of lived religion; it does not establish that visiting causes a particular outcome.

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Explore other sacred places in the region. Proximity does not establish access or travel time; check each place’s guidance.

Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Spring

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

0.0 km away

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Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

1.3 km away

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Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

1.3 km away

Engaku-ji

Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

1.4 km away

Sources consulted for this page. Source categories describe the publication, not a guarantee that every claim is verified. Traditional accounts and outside interpretations may differ.

1. 01Japan Tourism: Zeniarai money-washing tradition — Japan National Tourism OrganizationofficialSupports the specific devotional goal and visitor practice described in the guide.
2. 02Zeniarai Benten Shrine — Japan National Tourism OrganizationofficialDeities, Yoritomo dream, cave setting and money-washing practice.
3. 03Kamakura: cultural heritage booklet — City of KamakuraofficialAttributed 1185 foundation story and Tokiyori money-washing tradition.
4. 04Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine — Wikipedia contributorsSource contextIdentity and coordinates only. Legendary founding and surviving architecture have different chronologies.