A small but historically significant temple in Kita-Kamakura, just north of Engaku-ji. Known as the 'Divorce Temple' (Enkiri-dera), it served for nearly five centuries as a sanctuary where women could escape abusive marriages during a period when Japanese law gave husbands complete authority. The temple became a convent in 1285 and remained one until 1902.
Today it is a quiet, beautifully maintained Rinzai Zen temple with a lovely garden and a small museum displaying artefacts from the temple's history as a women's refuge. The graves of the nuns who ran it for so long are behind the main hall. Admission around 200 yen.