Chusonji zazen, sutra copying, and sermon experience

Jogyodo

This hall was rebuilt in 1732 by Date Yoshimura, the feudal lord of Sendai. The hall is built in a treasure-shaped structure, with the principal image of Amitabha Tathagata in the center, the four bodhisattvas on both sides, and Matarajin, who is revered as a secret Buddha, in the inner hall. Matara-jin is a god that Jikaku Daishi came to know on the ship returning from China, and is said to be the incarnation of Amida Nyorai. The door to the inner hall is usually tightly closed, but is opened to the public once every 33 years. On the 20th day of the New Year, the festival is dedicated to ancient rituals and the Ennen Dance dance.

Dargakku Bishamon-do Hall

Even before Kiyohira settled in Hiraizumi, several temples had already been built in and around Hiraizumi. One of them is Saikoji Temple. According to the temple law, when Sakanoue Tamuramaro subdued Ezo, he built Bishamon-do Hall in imitation of Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera Temple in gratitude for the blessings of Bishamonten, and built 108 Tamonten statues following Kurama-dera Temple. It is said that it began when the shrine was dedicated to The circumstances surrounding Ezo and Tamuramaro have become the subject of many stories and folklore, and they also add color to the temple legends of Saikoji Temple. Bishamondo was destroyed by fire twice, and the current one was rebuilt in 1963.

Chusonji Temple [World Heritage Site]

This is the main temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism in the Tohoku region. The name of the mountain is Kanzan, and Jikaku Daishi is the founder of the temple. In the early 12th century, Kiyohira, the first generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, built a number of pagodas, including a pagoda and a two-story hall. The purpose was to comfort the souls of those who died in the long wars of the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War, and to build a Buddhist land. Although the pagodas were sadly destroyed by fire in the 14th century, the temple is still a treasure house of Heian art, containing over 3000 national treasures and important cultural properties, including Konjikido.