In Kamakura, there are about 180 churches, and the oldest of them is away from the main tourist routes. The oldest Shinto shrine in Kamakura is located in a forest and a small temple - Amanava Simmey. It was built in the year 710 and is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu, who is revered in Japan as an ancestor of the imperial family, headed by a pantheon of gods of Shinto, embodies the creative principle, it is credited with inventing the cultivation of rice technology, and produce silk loom. It also protects agriculture.

It is considered that the circumstances of the shrine grounds is not fully understood, despite the fact that the church kept ancient document about its history. From this document it follows that financed the construction of a wealthy and influential resident Kamakura Tokitada Someya, a founder of the temple is considered to be a priest named Gёki, who also was involved in the construction of other churches - for example, Sugimoto-dera Temple in Kamakura, and Todai-ji Temple in Nara.

Amanawa shinmei shrine-jinja is a smaller copy of another sanctuary in honor of Amaterasu - Grand Shrines of Ise, where many Japanese make pilgrimages. Every year on September 14-17 ministers of the house arrange a procession around the shrine with a portable kumirnju Mikos.

The temple complex includes two buildings: hayden - room praying and honden - sanctuary. Both buildings were built in ancient architectural style simmey-zukuri, which is characterized by a roof decoration TIGI (intersecting strips) and katsuogi - short beam lying on top of the right angle.

The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 destroyed the church building, which was restored only in 1936, and the last of the reconstruction was completed only in 1998. The money was collected for the reconstruction of parishioners and volunteers.