There's an absolute abundance of temples in Kamakura, more than you could see if you stayed for a few days, and many of them are overlooked by visitors. However, some of them off the tourist map are also worth stopping off at, and Kyo-on-ji is one of those.
Not far south-east of the station, it's an intimate little place, with plenty of points of interest for temple-spotters like me. Most interesting for me are the beautifully detailed wooden carvings you'll find overhead: in the gate there's a tableau of (presumably) Buddhist monks or saints, while under the eaves of the worship hall there's a ferocious-looking dragon poised to swoop down.
There's also a pleasant small garden to contemplate, a handful of Buddhist statues dotted around, and a collection of ancient grave markers, which have likely been there for hundreds of years.
