Hiraizumi, Iwate: Sept. 15, 2018

I  visited Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, an old town with history of Tohoku district.

Tohoku was an outlying region of Japan for long time. The power of the central government sometimes reached there and sometimes retreated before the middle age.

In the late 11th century, Oushu Fujiwara family established a regime around Hiraizumi. A unique culture flourished here for about 100 years.

There were many episodes in the Fujiwara period. Minamoto Yoshitsune, one of Japan's most popular heroes, tragically died here. Sympathy for him has been shared by Japanese people for centuries. The Fujiwara family perished in  the late 12 century as the rule of the Kamakura shogunate government reached here.

Chuson-ji Temple was developed by Fujiwara Kiyohira, the first ruler of the dynasty’s 100-year triumph.

The temple is famous for its Konjikido, or golden hall (small building). It was made in 1124 by Fujiwara Kiyohira. The hall is 5.5 x 5.5 meters large and worships Buddha Tathagata and other forms of Buddha. The hall is covered with gold.

A larger building, in photo, was built later to cover the hall and to protect it from rains and winds. (See also the top photo). It was prohibited to take a picture of the golden hall. Visit the temple's HP to see Konjikido's photo.

http://www.chusonji.or.jp/guide/precincts/konjikido.html

There are many other temple buildings, including the main hall, in Chusnji.

I walked up a slope to approach the Golden hall and other buildings. (See also the 3rd photo from the top)

Fujiwara Kiyohira developed the temple to console the spirits of the people who were killed in the battles.

Motsuji Temple was redeveloped by Fujiwara Motohira, Kiyohira’s son, and Fujiwara Hidehira, Motohira’s son. Its garden is famous.

Minamoto Yoshitsune was under Fujiwara family’s protection. He was later attacked by the family, as it received strong pressure from the Kamakura government, and was forced to kill himself. His monument is on a hill.

We can see a good view of the region from there. (See the 2nd photo from the top)

Matsuo Basho, a famous haiku poet, visited here 500 years later and made a famous haiku.

The summer grass,

'Tis all thats left,

Of Ancient warriors' dream.

It was translated by Nitobe Inazo, a famous educator in the Meiji period.

Basho's monuments are in many places in the town. A statue in Chusonji-temple is one of them.

The site of administration offices of Fujiwara Family is now a park.

Chusonji, Motsuji and other places were registered as the World Heritages in 2011. Many tourists, including foreigners, visit here.

The audio guide was excellent. People can listen to the explanations of the places in 7 languages as they touch the numbers (or pictures) in the user guide with a pen. I found that the rental cycle system and other facilities were also well developed.