A MISAWA ITT TOUR
Hiraizumi
35th
GEIBIKEI GORGE
Geibikei Gorge
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GEIBIKEI GORGE
Geibikei Gorge is a deep, 2 km long ravine with fantastic crags as high as 100 meters. It is listed as one of Japan’s 100 Famous Views. The boat for descending the gorge has no engine, but is guided up and downstream by a boatman with a single pole. While on the boat, enjoy a scene that looks like a landscape painting, with a clear stream surrounded by towering cliffs. The boatman will explain each of the 17 famous points in the gorge, including the crags and caves. Go for a hike once the boat stops deep in the ravine. After the hike, listen to the boatman sing a local folksong called Oiwake - Parting of Ways. The wisterias at the beginning of the summer and the golden leaves in autumn are especially popular with tourists, but the winter is also beautiful. You can enjoy each season in a different way with a roofless boat in summer, a boat with a glass roof in spring and autumn, and a boat with kotatsu (heated tables) in the winter.
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MOTSUJI TEMPLE
The ruins of Motsuji Temple in Hiraizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture are a reminder of the prosperity of the three generations of the Fujiwara family in the 12th century, under whose reign there flourished a magnificent aristocratic culture. While the Golden Hall that was built in the 12th century still remains at Chusonji Temple, all of the other buildings of Motsuji Temple were destroyed by repeated fires in later years. According to some historians, Motsuji Temple was even more prosperous than Chusonji Temple and had 40 temples and shrines and 500 priests’ cells in its precincts. Today only the foundations and base structure of some of those buildings remain alongside the main hall. The garden, with its pond and laid-out rocks, is preserved in its original design. Created in the middle of the 12th century, the garden is said to be the only remaining example of a Jodo Garden (a garden designed based on a diagram of mandala which depicts the pure land where Buddha and bodhisattva live), a typical design of garden in the Heian Period (798 - 1192). Oizumi Pond in the center of the garden is almost as intact as it was 800 years ago. The teardrop-shaped isle in the middle of the pond and the skillfully distributed rocks are in exquisite balance, and the crystal surface of the pond reflects the surrounding trees. Motsuji Temple is also known as the temple of flowers. In the precincts, a variety of flowers and trees bloom throughout the year: ume (Japanese apricot) in early spring; cherry blossom in the spring; azaleas, irises, Chinese bellflowers, and lotus in the summer; and subtle hagi (Japanese bush clover) and maple trees change color in autumn. Among all of the flowers here, the irises are particularly famous: 30,000 irises of 300 species can be seen in full bloom at the end of June and the beginning of July, when the annual Iris Festival attracts many visitors.
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KONJIKI-DO
The Konjiki-do was erected in 1124 by order of Fujiwara Kiyohira, who wished it to serve as his own mausoleum. It is a small one-storied edifice that is 18 square feet, fully decorated in the interior with artistic designs in gold lacquer and inlaid mother-of-pearl. The outside was originally overlaid with gold leaf, hence its name, Konjiki-do, or gold-colored chapel. In the 13th century the whole building was protected by an outer covering built around it. The interior is wonderfully well preserved. The image of Amida and his attendant figures are enthroned on a dais, or seat of honor, under which lie buried Kiyohira, Motohira, and Hidehira. The columns, brackets, tie-beams, and other horizontal members are profusely decorated with the hosoge design, mother-of-pearl on a lacquered ground, and their colors harmonize beautifully. The panels on each side of the dais are decorated with peacocks, and their tails are studded with colorful gems. The whole interior is the style of the later Fujiwara decorative art and can be compared with that of the main part of Ho-o-do or the Phoenix Hall in Kyoto.
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GOLDEN PAVILION
The history of the Golden Pavilion (Chusonji Temple) started in A.D 850, opened by the priest of high virtue of the Tendai sect of Buddhism and after that, in A.D 1105, many Buddhist temples were built by Mr. Fujiwara. Mr. Fujiwara lost his father in the battle of Zen-kunen, and his wife and son in the battle of Go-sannen. He built Chusonji Temple (Golden Pavilion) wishing for peace in his heart when thinking of enemies and colleagues who lost their life in the war. The Golden Pavilion is constructed of gold, shell, and wood. The gold is the product of this district, while the shell and wood are the products of India and Southeast Asia. Mr. Kiyohira started Buddhist culture here, conquered the anger and sadness of man caused by war and wished for a peaceful country, to be a paradise for the heart.
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HIRAIZUMI
Hiraizumi in the southwestern part of Iwate Prefecture is a town extending up the Hiraizumi Hill on the west bank of the Kitakami-gawa River, that prospered for almost 100 years from the 11th to the 12th centuries as the center of the Tohoku region. Over 3,000 national treasures and historical sites still remain, telling the story of the Fujiwara Clan that reigned over the area in the zenith of its prosperity. The splendid culture that appeared during the reign of the Fujiwaras lasted for three generations and has been preserved in the area to this day.
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Misawa ITT Office Location: Bldg. 973 Phone: 226-3555
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Closed Sunday & federal holidays