About Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi
Hiraizumi Cultural Heritage is the collective name of a series of temples located in Hiraizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, which were built in accordance with the cosmology of the Pure Land Sect, which was introduced to Japan in the 8th century, and are of great cultural significance. Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land.
The Hiraizumi Cultural Heritage consists of Chusonji Temple, Motsuji Temple, Kannonwon Monastery, Mugunghwang Monastery, and Geumji Mountain. Among them, Chusonji Temple and Motsuji Temple are not only of special significance for the study of the architectural style and religious culture of the time, but also a place for visitors to find peace and tranquility, and they have both been designated as National Special Historic Sites of Japan. When the World Heritage Committee examined the cultural heritage of Hiraizumi, it considered that these landscapes had a great influence on the development of architecture, technology, monumental art, town planning, and landscape design, and that they contributed to the exchange of human values.
How to get there
5 minutes drive from Hiraizumi Maesawa IC on Tohoku Expressway
45 minutes drive from Iwate Hanamaki Airport
15 minutes by car from JR Ichinoseki Station
2 hours and 30 minutes from Sendai Airport by sightseeing bus
Tips
In late November, I decided to take advantage of a special ticket deal and visit Shiogama Shrine, the Mutsu Shrine. This was my first visit to Shiogama. While I was thinking about how to visit Hiraizumi, the ancient capital of Oshu, I decided to visit Hiraizumi for the first time in a long time. So we decided to visit Hiraizumi’s historical sites on the first day and walk around Shiogama on the following day.
On the last day, we decided to visit Sendai City. By chance, I picked up a copy of Ryotaro Shiba’s “Kaido yuku” (On the Road) after returning from my trip, and was delighted to learn that he had also stopped at many of the places I visited this time.
Website
https://hiraizumi.or.jp/en/heritage/