Yagura (tombs)
"Yagura" can be found either isolated, as in the case of the "Harakiri Yagura", or in clusters of almost 200 caves. Groups of yagura are labeled with the suffix . The most conveniently seen "yagura" for most tourists are those at Jufuku-ji, near Kamakura station. Its cemetery has many yagura, including those with the cenotaphs of Hōjō Masako and Minamoto no Sanetomo. True "yagura" can be found also in the Miura Peninsula, in the Izu Peninsula, and as far away as Awa Province (Chiba). History. There is a lack of solid documentary or archeological evidence regarding exactly when  or why the "yagura" system was adopted. It is generally believed that tombs were dug into the soft rock of the hills around the city because of lack of space in the valley below. The only way to date a "yagura" is through the dates carved on a "gorintō" or stele that it may contain. On this basis, the oldest was found near the Asahina Pass and dated to between 1260 and 1270. It was previously thought that an ambiguously titled law that forbade cemeteries in towns (the ) referred to Kamakura, and therefore was the origin of the custom. It  is now believed that the law was promulgated for the city of Fuchu, in Bungo Province of Kyushu, by the Ōtomo clan. However, some historians think the Ōtomo must have used a Kamakura shogunate law as a model. The custom continued after the demise of the shogunate and well into the Ashikaga period, until the middle of the 15th century, after which it declined. The "yagura" of the time give some indication of the decline of the custom: some have been converted to storehouses, others served as a convenient grave for inhumation, and thus were filled. Structure of a "yagura . A yagura" is usually just a hole dug into the side of a hill and begins with a short corridor called leading to the crypt, called . The crypt is usually one to five meters wide and roughly rectangular. In many cases the mouth of the "sendō" was sealed by a wooden door (), the remains of which can sometimes still be seen. In some cases, cremated bones were interred in an opening in the floor, but in other tombs there is instead urn. In either case, "yagura" floors are part of the bedrock, so are not suitable for burials. Fragments of  cremated bone can occasionally be found. Inside a yagura, the grave is often marked by a stone "gorintō", "hōkyōintō" (Buddhist tower), or other stone monument. These are normally later additions. Other Buddhist imagery, such as statues of "Jizō" are commonly found, as in most Japanese cemeteries. Red painted rafters are visible on the ceiling of the . Etymology and written form. As with many other aspects of "yagura" and their history, the etymology of the name is unclear. According to one hypothesis, the name derives from , or watchtower, but it seems more likely that it is just a local corruption of  , that is, a stone storehouse. The word "yagura" over the centuries has been written in several ways, among them . The term is now usually written only in "hiragana". Notable "yagura". These are some notable "yagura" in Kamakura: External links. Further information and photos of "yagura" are available at the following sites.