In Kamakura are five major Buddhist temples, which were part of a religious-political nature, called Gozan, or "five mountains" or "Five Great Zen temples." Kencho-ji Temple is ranked first in kamakurskoy "great" five, it is the oldest monastery of Zen and the sample on which to judge what were the Zen monasteries in medieval Japan. Its "five" great temples are also in Kyoto.

Gozan system was borrowed from China, it is based were churches and monasteries, which are financed by the state. They were located in a mountainous area, and this is reflected in the title of the "Five Mountains." In Japan, it has developed in the Kamakura period (1185-1333 years). The system serves, on the one hand, the spread of Zen Buddhism, on the other hand, used it for their own purposes the ruling circles, in particular for the dissemination of laws and decrees, as well as to monitor the situation on the ground. In Kamakura Gozan temples entered Kentё-ji-ji Engaku, Dzufuki-ji-ji and Dzёti Dzomё-ji.

Kencho-ji was founded by Emperor Gofukakusa in 1253. It got its name in honor of the era - Kencho. Monk-founder of the temple became a Chinese Zen master Ranko Douro, who came to Japan to preach his doctrine.

At the beginning of its history, Kencho-ji Temple consisted of 49 small temples, but many of the buildings were burned in fires that occurred in the XIV-XV centuries. The temple complex was restored in the XVI century, during the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. The once thriving monastery fell into decline by the end of the XIX century, when the Japanese government began to pay more attention to the development of Shinto. Renaissance for Kentё-ji came with the discovery in 1889 of the railway line between Tokyo and Kamakura. Now the monastery there are only 10 small temples.

In Kentё-ji Temple main hall is the cultural value of the Buddha, who moved from Tokyo Jodo-ji Temple in 1647. Bell tower under a thatched roof, situated nearby, dates back to the XIII century and is a national treasure.

Several buildings of the monastery is closed for visitors. We can not see how the lives rector or the monks learned the art of meditation. But the walks are allowed in the garden, broken poet, scholar and philosopher Muso Soseki, lived in the XIII-XIV centuries. Juniper in the garden grown from seeds brought from China to the founder of the monastery Ranko Douro. The trees declared natural treasures of Japan.