I'm going to be in Kamakura next week. Since that will surely involve visiting temples anyways, I thought it would be cool to visit the location of one of the Go Seigen-Kitani Minoru jubango games while I was there. I know at least one of the games was held at the Engaku-ji temple. Does anybody know where at the temple, and if that location is accessible to the public? If not, are there other sites in Kamakura that are?

Game 1 of the match was played at the Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura; Game 2 at an inn in Tokyo; Games 3, 4, 6, and 9 at Engakuji in Kamakura; Game 5 at a temple in Ikaho, a small town in Gunma prefecture; Games 7, 8, and 10 at the Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura. The games at Engakuji were played in a tea ceremony room in the temple grounds. The games at the Hachiman shrine were played in inner offices. My guess would be that you'd have a better chance of seeing the actual playing site at Engakuji. Try asking at the temple entrance. The temple grounds are open to the public and are quite beautiful, but whether or not that particular room is open I don't know.

Thanks.

Sadly, the playing location at Engaku-ji wasn't open to the public when I visited. But Kamakura was nice - well worth the visit. I actually think I enjoyed it more than Kyoto, since it was much less overrun with tourists.