[Iwate Prefecture] The legend of the Oshu Fujiwara clan's buried gold treasure! What is Mt. Kinkeisan in Hiraizumi?

When talking about Japan's buried treasure, many people may think of the Tokugawa buried treasure. However, legends of buried treasure remain throughout Japan. There is also a mountain in Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture that has such a legend. Mt. Kinkeisan is a mountain of worship that has been designated as one of the World Heritage Sites, ``Hiraizumi - Architecture, Gardens, and Archaeological Sites Representing the Pure Land of Buddhism .

Mt. Kinkeisan and the legend of buried treasure

Mt. Kinkeisan is a mountain less than 100 meters above sea level located in Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture. There is a legend that it is an artificial mountain that was built to resemble Mt. Fuji in just one night, and it is a small mountain that looks like a small hill covered in trees.

What is said to be buried in this mountain are the treasures of the Oshu Fujiwara clan

According to legend, the third generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, Hidehira, . It is said that Hidehira buried a pair of golden chickens on the top of this mountain in hopes of protecting Hiraizumi, and also hid 10,000 cups of lacquer and 10,000 ryo of gold.

If it was an artificial mountain, as the legend had it, it would have been easy to create a room to hide the treasure. a local legend that the sound of a rooster crowing can be heard coming from the mountain, and a children's song that goes, ``Under the tree where the morning sun shines and the setting sun shines, there is a lacquered cup of gold.'' This refers to the location of buried treasure.

Oshu Fujiwara clan's golden culture and Pure Land ideology

The enormous wealth and power that the Oshu Fujiwara clan possessed can be clearly seen by looking at Chusonji Temple

Chuson-ji is a gorgeous temple built by Kiyohira, the first generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who spared no expense in building it. Many of the buildings were destroyed by fire, and unfortunately only a few remain today. However, if you visit, you will be able to feel the prosperity of Hiraizumi in the past.

This family was devoted to Pure Land philosophy and is known for their dedication to building temples, shrines, and gardens. Kinkeisan is also said to be a mountain built for a temple. There used to be a temple called Muryoko- in to the east of Mt. Kinkeisan

This temple was built by the third generation, Hidehira, in the style of Byodo-in Temple in Kyoto. It was later destroyed in a fire, and only the ruins remain today, but it is said that when it was built, it was a huge, glittering temple that even surpassed the original Byodo-in Temple.

Mt. Kinkeisan is located just behind the main hall of Muryoko-in Temple, and from the garden you can see the sun setting behind the mountain ridge. If you looked at the main hall from the garden at dusk, the setting sun would illuminate the main hall like a halo, creating a beauty reminiscent of the Pure Land of Paradise. Mt. Kinkeisan was the center and symbol of Hiraizumi's urban design.

Even today, it is said to be a mountain of worship, and it is known that at least nine sutra mounds were built on the summit, and past excavations have found sutra cylinders and pots.

So, what was it that supported the Oshu Fujiwara clan's financial strength? These are the many gold mines in Tohoku. The Tamayama Gold located in Rikuzentakata City is one of the most famous of these, and the gold abundantly used in the Golden Hall of Chusonji Temple is said to have come from Tamayama.

The family built temples one after another, such as Chuson-ji, Motsu-ji, and Muryoko-in. is the world heritage site "Hiraizumi" that remains today Incidentally, rumors of temples and shrines that were built without paying any attention to money spread as far as China, and are said to be the source of Marco Polo's ``Zipangu, the Land of Gold'' written in his Travels to the East

Will it still remain? "Fujiwara clan's curse"

This is a treasure left behind by the Oshu Fujiwara clan. What's more, it is hidden treasure hidden by Hidehira, the most powerful member of his family. Naturally, many people began searching for buried treasure in hopes of getting rich quickly.

However, there is another rumor about the buried treasure. That the "Fujiwara clan's curse . It is said that spirits of warriors guarding treasures have been seen around Mt. Kinkeisan for a long time. There is a rumor associated with buried treasure legends that those who aim for buried treasure will be cursed.

However, don't dismiss it as a common rumor. Excavation work was carried out five times from the Edo period to the Showa period, but no buried treasure has yet been found. On the contrary, all excavations were forced to be canceled due to accidents and deaths of people involved. As if to prove the legend.

Hiraizumi sunset

Now, at the foot of Mt. Kinkeisan, there is a Senju-do Hall containing the memorial tablets of three generations of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, as well as the grave of a relative of a certain person who was a factor in the downfall of the Fujiwara clan. It is the grave of Minamoto no Yoshitsune's wife and children.

Yoshitsune, who was forced to leave the capital after becoming hostile to his older brother Yoritomo, turned to the third generation, Hidehira, who was also in conflict with Yoritomo. However, after Hidehira died, the fourth generation, Yasuhira, succumbed to Yoritomo's pressure and raided Yoshitsune's mansion. Yoshitsune is said to have killed his legal wife, Gozen, and his four-year-old daughter with his own hands, and then committed suicide.

Yasuhira sent Yoshitsune's head to Yoritomo, but Yoritomo did not miss this chance and dispatched troops to Oshu. This is what the world calls the Oshu Conquest Yasuhira was defeated, but he was assassinated in Odate City, Akita Prefecture. As a result, the Oshu Fujiwara clan fell, and the prosperity of Hiraizumi came to an end.

lastly

Kinkeisan also appears in Matsuo Basho's Oku no Hosomichi. , ``Hidehira's ruins will become fields, leaving only the shape of Mt. Kinkei . The second part of this line is the famous poem, ``Summer grass and grass are the traces of dreams.''

When sightseeing in Hiraizumi, it would be fun not only to visit Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji temples, but also to think about the rise and fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan at Mt. Kinkeisan.

Mt. Kinkeisan trailhead <Information>

• Name: Mt. Kinkei trailhead
• Address: 44 Hiraizumi Hanatate, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture 029-4102
• URL: http://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp/heritage/asset/kinkei.html

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