Tsurugaoka Museum, Kamakura
The Tsurugaoka Museum, Kamakura is the cultural hub of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Its exhibition program focuses on the culture and history of the shrine and the city of Kamakura, from shrine festivals to medieval art. The museum is located next to the Heike Pond on the western side of the grounds and is housed in a square building designed by Sakakura Junzo (1901–1969), a protégé of the pioneering Modernist architect Le Corbusier (1887–1965). The building was originally constructed as the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, which opened in 1951 and was the first public museum of modern art in Japan. That museum closed in 2016, and the structure was renovated extensively before reopening in 2019. It is now designated an Important Cultural Property. The renovated museum retains Sakakura’s design, which has a central courtyard that lets in natural light, an L-shaped exhibition hall on the second floor, and a covered first-floor terrace that opens onto the pond. The museum gift shop sells items related to the shrine and Kamakura, while the adjacent building houses a cafe.