tohoku38.99° N, 141.12° E
Hiraizumi
Hiraizumi is a small town in Iwate that was, for a century from about 1090, the capital of the Northern Fujiwara, whose temples and gardens set out a Buddhist Pure Land on earth.
The Kannondo of Ganjoju-in, Chuson-ji
- Region
- Tohoku
- Our journeys
- Created for you
Our tours stayA day on tourA Custom Tour of Japan
the place
A Pure Land of gold and water, in the far north.
The Northern Fujiwara grew rich on the gold of the north and built a city to rival Kyoto. At Chuson-ji, up a cedar avenue on a wooded hill, the Konjikido of 1124 is covered inside and out in gold leaf and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, kept now within a hall of its own. Below, at Motsu-ji, the Pure Land garden lies around the pond of Oizumi-ga-ike, its shores and stones laid out as they were nine centuries ago. Together they are a World Heritage Site.
The poet Basho came here in 1689 and wrote of summer grasses over the warriors' dreams. We plan Hiraizumi as a Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans the days for you.
what we do here
Hiraizumi, as we show it
Chuson-ji
The cedar avenue up the hill, and the Konjikido covered in gold leaf.
Motsu-ji
The Pure Land garden around its pond, the stones as they were laid.
The grounds of Motsu-ji Takadachi
The hill above the river where Basho wrote of the summer grasses.
Geibikei
A flat-bottomed boat poled through a gorge of sheer cliffs, the boatman singing.
questions
Questions about Hiraizumi
How do you reach Hiraizumi?
By the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Ichinoseki, a little over two hours, then about ten minutes by private car.
Can Hiraizumi be combined with the rest of Tohoku?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan can join it with Matsushima, Kakunodate and the onsen of Nyuto, alongside anywhere else in Japan.
Can you plan a private journey to Hiraizumi?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans the days for you.
Hiraizumi, created for you alone.
The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, and Hiraizumi can be any part of it. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.