Kamakura's Seven Entrances

The city of Kamakura, Kanagawa in Japan, is closed off on three sides by very steep hills and on the fourth by the sea: before the construction of several modern tunnels and roads, the so-called Seven Entrances (Nana-guchi), or Seven Passes (七切り通し, Nana-kiridoshi) (all artificial) were its main links to the rest of the world.

[1] The city was therefore a natural fortress and, according to the Azuma Kagami, it was chosen by Minamoto no Yoritomo as his base specifically for this reason.

[2] The name itself seems to have been modeled on that of Kyoto's Seven Entrances (京都七口)—sometimes translated as the seven "mouths"—which first appears in the literature of the intermediate Muromachi period (around the year 1450).

Its name seems to stem from the legend that superhuman hero Asahina (or Asaina) Saburō Yoshihide (a historical figure and Wada Yoshimori's third son) built it by himself in one night.

Goods coming from various places arrived here by ship and entered Kamakura through this pass, making Mutsuura a location of great political and economic importance.

On both sides of the pass are still visible the remains of fortifications (artificial cliffs and flat areas) built to defend it.

On the south of the border with Kamakura lies Kumano Jinja, built to guard the city's unlucky north-eastern direction.

[1] The stele on the pass says:[9] This place used to be a hill but Ninshō, the founder of Gokuraku-ji, had it flattened and opened this road.

[10] The Kamegayatsu Pass [11] connected the area of Ōgigayatsu (north-west of today's Kamakura station) to Chōju-ji in Yamanouchi (Kita-Kamakura), near Kenchō-ji.

[1] Militarily extremely important, the Kewaizaka Pass (仮粧坂) led to Fujisawa, then the road proceeded towards Musashi Province (the area round today's Fuchū and Kokubunji).

[1] The stele on the Kamakura side says:[12] The name of the Kewaizaka Pass can be written with the characters "化粧坂" or "形勢坂".

According to one theory the name derives from the fact that once the shogun of the Taira clan was captured and makeup[13] was applied to his severed head to make it easier to recognize.

On the Zushi side, in several point along the road are still visible the remains of artificial cliffs added to complement the place's natural geography and ensure an easy defense.