Masuzawain ruins

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Mizusawa VLBI Observatory

It is the only one in Japan and continues to be observed 24/7.

Kawanishi Daenenbutsu Kembu

This is a Nenbutsu dance that has been passed down in the Kawanishi area of ​​Kinugawa, Oshu City for about 900 years. When Kiyohira, the first generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who built Chuson-ji, a world heritage site, prayed to bring the souls of those who died in the battles of 1995 and 3000 to Buddhahood, a monkey (an incarnation of Buddha) appeared and prayed to him. It is said that he danced and guided the souls of the deceased to the Pure Land. Before dancing, it is customary to recite the Nembutsu in memory of the ancestors, and then, to the sound of drums and flutes, the dancers wear horse tails and torizai (horse tails) on their heads. They dance in a dignified and heroic manner, wearing chicken tail feathers and holding a fan, aya bamboo (kongou-zue), and a sword in their hands. Every year, it is dedicated at Chuson-ji Temple on May 3rd and November 3rd during the Fujiwara Festival, and on August 24th at Osegakie. As one of the "furyu dances", "Kenkenbu", which includes Kawanishi Daenenbutsu Kenbu, has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2022.11.30) → [ Oshu City Homepage ]

Ungiwaji Temple

Ungiwaji Temple was a branch of a mountain temple that was the predecessor of the Tendai Sect's Sekizan Chusonji Temple, founded by Jikaku Daishi Ennin in 850. In 1186, when Minamoto no Yoshitsune came down to Hiraizumi, Oshu, with his 12 masters, servants, and legal wife Kitakata, this temple was rebuilt by Kitakata. After the defeat, the memorial tablets of Yoshitsune and Kitakata were enshrined by the monks who attended the temple. Destroyed by fire in 2008. The building has been rebuilt, but a replica of the memorial tablet is on display at the History Museum.