According to the Azuma Kagami, a written chronicle of the Kamakura period, Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa, a warrior who fought in the Gosannen War in the late Heian period, is enshrined here. The Menkake Gyoretsu parade, an intangible cultural asset designated by Kanagawa prefecture, takes place at a festival held here every year on September 18. The masks worn in the parade have been used since the Edo period. They are kept in the treasure house on the grounds of the temple, where visitors may view them. (The entry fee is 100 yen for adults.) The hydrangeas are beautiful in early summer, and the scenery, with the Enoden train passing in front of the torii gate, has made it a popular location for television dramas and films.

Gain the power of Gongoro

Chikara mochi (rice snacks of power) associated with the superhuman strength of Kamakura Gongoro and fukumen manju (buns with motifs of the masks worn in the Menkake Gyoretsu parade) are sold at the Chikaramochiya, an historic wagashi, Japanese sweets, shop located on the approach road to Goryo Jinja. In a letter to his friend Kume Masao, Akutagawa Ryunosuke mentions eating the chikara mochi sold here to obtain the strength to write.