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Chusonji Temple located in Hiraizumi Town, Nishiiwai District, Iwate Prefecture, is the head temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism in the Tohoku region. an extra temple of the Oshu Thirty-three Kannon pilgrimage , and its mountain name is Kanzan, with Shaka Nyorai as its principal image.
Chusonji Temple, said to have been founded by Jikaku Daishi Ennin
According to the history of Chusonji Temple, it began Jikaku Daishi Ennin
However, no reliable historical documents or excavation findings have been found to date to support the founding of the temple by Jikaku Daishi Ennin, and the general consensus is that the founding of Chusonji Temple actually refers to the construction of large-scale temple buildings in the early 12th century by Fujiwara no Kiyohira , to house the Shaka Nyorai and Taho Nyorai statues.
According to the temple's history, it is now considered one of the four temple corridors that
There are various theories about the origin of the temple name "Chusonji" (the name of a Buddhist temple), but it the poet Saigyo when he visited the site during the Koji era (1142-1144), which read "Chuson to Shinsho" (the place where the Buddha is said to be).
Chusonji Temple (Main temple front gate)
"Chuson" is interpreted to mean "located in the center of Oshu
Temples of the three generations of the Oshu Fujiwara clan
As mentioned above, the temple dates back to the mid-9th century, but it is famous as the temple of three generations of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, and has many cultural assets such as the Golden Hall and art and crafts from the Heian period
View from the approach to the shrine
The Oshu Fujiwara clan established great power in the Tohoku region in the 12th century, and in 1105, Fujiwara no Kiyohira began the restoration of Chusonji Temple in Hiraizumi. The purpose was to console the spirits of those who died in the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War, which took place in the Tohoku region in the late 11th century, and to build a Buddhist land in the Tohoku region, which was then known as "Michinoku" and considered a remote area. Therefore, the temple was actually founded during this period.
The Golden Hall was completed in 1124. This hall was built by Kiyohira as his own mausoleum, and houses the remains of the three Fujiwara lords and the head of the fourth lord, Motohira
After the fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, it survived under the protection of Minamoto no Yoritomo
The Oshu Fujiwara clan was destroyed in 1189. After that, the temple continued to exist as a temple of "Emperor Toba's prayers" under the patronage of Minamoto no Yoritomo
In addition to the Golden Hall, Chusonji Temple at that time is said to have had other buildings, such as the Taho-ji Temple, which houses Shaka Nyorai and Taho Nyorai statues, the Shaka-do Hall, which houses 100 Shaka Nyorai statues, the Ryokai-do Hall, which houses wooden statues of the Buddhas of the Ryokai Mandala, and the Nikai Daido Hall (Daichoju-in), which houses a 9m-tall Amida Buddha and nine 5m-tall Amida Buddha statues
Although Chusonji Temple has weathered the changing times, there is a record that in 1337 there was a major fire that burned down almost all of the buildings except for the Golden Hall
During the Edo period, it became part of the Sendai domain and was under the protection of the Date clan
During the Edo period, the temple became part of the Sendai domain and came under the patronage of the Date clan, who repaired and rebuilt the temple buildings
In 1654, due to the trend of Shinbutsu Shugo (a movement to combine and reconstruct indigenous Japanese gods and Buddhist gods), the temple was placed under the management of Sengaku-in Temple in Sendai, and in 1665 it became a branch temple of Kan'ei-ji Temple in Edo
However, when Matsuo Basho visited the temple in 1689 while on his journey to the "Hosomichi of the Deep North," he is said to have "lamented the state of dilapidation at Chusonji Temple," so it may have been in a state of neglect, with the "management" being merely a name
Chusonji Temple regained its splendor in modern times
Later, in modern times, the main hall was rebuilt in 1909. In 1950, an academic investigation was carried out on the remains of the four generations of the Fujiwara clan that had been enshrined in the Golden Hall for 800 years, and it was discovered that the heads enshrined there were in fact those of the four generations of the Oshu Fujiwara clan (the first generation, Kiyohira, the second generation, Motohira, the third generation, Hidehira, and the fourth generation, Yasuhira)
In 1962, the Golden Hall was dismantled and repaired, and was completed six years later in 1968. The temple's past glory has been restored to the present
The Golden Hall, designated a national treasure as a representative example of Jodo sect architecture
A gorgeous, dynastic culture flourished in Hiraizumi for about 100 years. In 2011, the culture of Hiraizumi, including Chusonji Temple, was registered as a World Heritage Site and an Intangible Cultural Heritage Site as "Hiraizumi - Architecture, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (Pure Land)."
Chusonji Temple Golden Hall
The Golden Hall is popular with tourists visiting Chusonji Temple and is highly renowned. The Golden Hall, an Amida Hall with gold leaf applied inside and out, is a prime example of Jodo sect architecture from the Heian period, along with the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Temple, and a National Treasure . Enshrined within the hall are the body and head, as well as grave goods and a total of 31 Buddhist statues, all of which are designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. It is also a valuable resource for learning about the art and cultural background of the Heian period.
In addition to the Konjikido, the mountain air creates a majestic view on Tsukimizaka, the pilgrimage route leading to Chusonji Temple. There are many buildings worth seeing, including the main hall, the Fudo Hall, a prayer hall built in 1977, and the Sankozo, which houses over 3,000 cultural assets. Many ceremonies and memorial services are still held here, and the main hall is open to the public from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (until 4:30 pm from November to February)
The most convenient way to get to Hiraizumi is by taking the Tohoku Shinkansen, which takes 2 hours and 20 minutes from Tokyo to Ichinoseki Station. Transfer to the Tohoku Main Line and you'll arrive at the nearest station, Hiraizumi Station, in about 10 minutes. Tsukimizaka is about 1.6 kilometers away, so taking a taxi may be a good option
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