This year marks 10 years since Hiraizumi was registered as Tohoku's first World Cultural Heritage Site. Expectations are high as various commemorative events are planned from April. (Please see the Iwate Prefecture official website for commemorative projects for the 2021 10th anniversary of Hiraizumi World Heritage registration.)
Hiraizumi is packed with cultural heritage sites and is perfect for short trips. I enjoyed this early spring day with my dog and siblings, Sobacchi! (*Interview date: February 19, 2021)
INDEX
Hiraizumi Rest House
It is a spacious complex with a souvenir shop, restaurant, food court, group cafeteria, and Hiraizumi Cultural History Museum.
① Sobachi looks around the spacious store.
② Part of the fun of traveling is wondering what to buy.
③With shop staff Motoki Ota. Celebrating our 10th anniversary as a World Cultural Heritage Site, we hope that our guests will have a lot of fun!
④ Hiraizumi Rest House won the honor of being ranked 2nd in Japan in the 41st 100 Sightseeing and Dining Facilities Selected by Professionals (Sponsored by Travel Shimbun Shinsha) announced in December 2020!
Lala Iwate Hiraizumi store
On the approach to Chusonji Konjikido, just before Tsukimizaka, we sell a selection of local products from the prefecture, including famous sweets and crafts.
①Since you’re here, you’ll want to know about original products that can only be found locally. Ask shop staff Mr. Sato for souvenir recommendations.
②You’ll be happy if you can find your favorite souvenir from your trip.
③Products from Iwate that are beautiful and tasteful down to the smallest detail. We have everything from traditional crafts to simple goods.
④ Wind chimes with their lovely chirping sounds are saying “Welcome!” in front of the eaves.
Right: Masaru Suzuki, Nambu Tetsu accessory artist (Nagare Kobo)
https://www.japan-iron.jp/
Chusonji Temple
Chusonji, the head temple of the Tendai sect in Tohoku. The gorgeous Golden Hall, which has layers of gold leaf inside and outside the hall, is the only national treasure Amida-do that remains from the time when Chuson-ji Temple was built in 1124, although many Buddhist halls were lost after the fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan. Inside, the bodies of Kiyohira, Motohira, and Hidehira and Yasuhira’s head are enshrined.
①Tsukimizaka is about 700m. It is lined with giant cedar trees that are 350 to 400 years old and were planted by the Date clan, which ruled Hiraizumi during the Edo period.
②At Benkeido on the way. This year, Benkei is also wearing a mask. *Interview date: February 19, 2021
③In front of Konjikido, Sankozo is a collection of over 3,000 cultural assets left behind by the Oshu Fujiwara clan. This year, which marks the 10th anniversary of the registration as a World Cultural Heritage Site, there are plans to unveil the hidden Buddha “Ichiji Kanawa Butchozon.”
You can use the same admission ticket to visit Sankozo, Konjikido, Kyōzo, and Kyuobido, so be sure to check it out.
④I came to the front of Shinbakudo. I’m so happy and excited that I’ll be joining Sobacchi today!
⑤Breath-taking brilliance… The craft techniques of the time were brought together in response to Fujiwara Kiyohira’s earnest wish to express the state of the Pure Land in a concrete manner.
⑥I was able to hear many valuable things from Mr. Godai Sasaki of the Property Management Department.
⑦The Amida Nyorai in the center of the Shumidan is flanked by Kannon Seishi Bodhisattva, six Jizo Bodhisattvas, Jikokuten, and Zochoten.
I quietly joined hands with Sobachi.
⑧The 10 years since it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site were also the 10 years of recovery after the Great Tohoku Earthquake.
My trip to Hiraizumi with Sobacchi reminded me of the wish for peace and well-being that has been passed down through time from the Oshu Fujiwara clan.
Kerohira News!
“Hiraizumi Cultural Heritage” Guidance Facility (tentative name)
Currently, in addition to the development of the Yanagi no Gosho Historic Site Park (*The central part of the park, such as the pond and well ruins, is open to the public), the park is being built as a base for disseminating information about the value of Hiraizumi’s cultural heritage both domestically and internationally. The Heritage Guidance Facility (tentative name) is currently under construction. Scheduled to open during 2021.
[Location] Kararaku, Hiraizumi, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture (inside Iwate Prefectural Yanaginogosho Historic Site Park) View on Google Map
[Inquiries] Iwate Prefecture Culture and Sports Department, Cultural Promotion Division, World Heritage Site
10-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, Iwate Prefecture TEL 019-629-6486
https://www.sekaiisan.pref.iwate.jp/information
journey map
universal design
We would like to introduce an example of Hiraizumi’s universal design. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
(Left) Hiraizumi Station (slope/Braille blocks)
(Middle) Hiraizumi Station (toilet)
(Right) Hiraizumi Rest House (prayer room)
(Left) Hiraizumi Heritage Culture Center (written communication guidance service)
(Middle) Motsuji Temple (slope in front of the main hall)
(Right) Chusonji Temple (Tsukimizaka slope display sign)
Hiraizumi Tourism Association
[Telephone] 0191-46-2111
With Sobacchi! Hiraizumi trip, Part 1
*The content posted is as of February 19, 2021.
Chusonji Temple Photo: Permit No. 15091
