History
During the Kamakura period both the beach and the nearby areas were called Maehama (前浜?). The name appears repeatedly in the Azuma Kagami to indicate spots going from Hase to Wakamiya Oji. It was used to practice martial arts such as Kogasagake (小笠懸?) (horseback archery) and yabusame (a horseback archery competition). It became a battlefield in 1180 at the time of the battle against Hatakeyama Shigetada, and again in 1333 for the fight between Nitta Yoshisada and the defense forces of the Hōjō. Lastly, it became a battleground in 1416 during Uesugi Zenshū's rebellion. Human bones of the era are still occasionally found during excavations. It is on this beach that Nichiren, the founder of the Buddhist Nichiren sect, was put on a boat to be taken to Katase and executed.
The beach was considered sacred ground to the Minamoto clan and, before visiting shrines in Izu or Hakone, the shogun would always purify his body here.
Read more about this topic: Yuigahama
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