Enoshima- Japanese LocationLocation · Landmark"Island of Benzaiten"
Also known as: 江の島
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Symbols
Description
The heavens shook, clouds descended, and Benzaiten appeared over the Sagami coast. As she alighted, Enoshima rose from the ocean floor to receive her. A five-headed dragon that had terrorized the region repented at the sight of her and coiled himself beneath the island as its guardian.
Mythology & Lore
The Dragon and the Goddess
According to the Enoshima Engi, composed by the monk Kokō in 1047 CE, a five-headed dragon had long terrorized the region around Koshigoe, devouring children and devastating the countryside. In the sixth year of the Kinmei era (552 CE), the heavens shook, clouds descended over the sea, and the goddess Benzaiten appeared from the sky. As she alighted, the island of Enoshima rose from the ocean floor to receive her. The dragon, overcome by the goddess's beauty and spiritual power, repented of his violent ways and pledged devotion to her. Benzaiten accepted his submission, and the dragon coiled himself beneath the island, where he remains as its guardian.
The sea caves at Enoshima's southwestern tip are traditionally identified as the dragon's dwelling place and are considered the oldest sacred site on the island.
The Shrine on the Water
Minamoto no Yoritomo, whose warrior government sat at nearby Kamakura, visited Enoshima to pray. The Azuma Kagami records the visit. Under Kamakura patronage, pilgrimage to the island intensified. By the Edo period, townspeople of Edo were walking the road to Enoshima in such numbers that the practice had its own name: Enoshima mōde.