English Version
Zaimokuza Beach in Kamakura, Kanagawa, is known as a seaside destination, but it also has a darker reputation among people interested in local ghost stories.
According to rumor, some swimmers have drowned here after feeling as if a ghost were pulling them down by the legs. Like many coastal legends, the story is passed around as a warning, and it should be treated as folklore rather than confirmed fact.
Another rumor says the area may once have been used as an execution ground for criminals during the Kamakura period.
There is also a historical layer to the unease surrounding the area. In 1953, an excavation of the nearby Zaimokuza archaeological site uncovered the remains of around 650 people, along with large numbers of horse and dog bones. These remains are thought to be connected to those who died in battle during Nitta Yoshisada’s attack on Kamakura.
Zaimokuza Beach is located around 5-chome, Zaimokuza, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. If you visit, follow local beach rules, swim only when conditions are safe, and do not enter restricted or archaeological areas.
Japanese Language
海水浴客が、亡霊に足を引っ張られて溺死する事故が発生するとの噂がある。鎌倉時代、罪人の処刑場あったという噂がある。また、1953年に近くの材木座遺跡を発掘調査した際に、約650体の人骨と、大量の馬や犬の骨が出土した。これらは新田義貞の鎌倉攻めによる戦死者であると推定されている。神奈川県鎌倉市材木座５丁目
