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Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi

UNESCO World Heritage Site in Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi is the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.[1]

Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land
UNESCO World Heritage Site
LocationHiraizumi, Nishiiwai District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
CriteriaCultural: (ii), (vi)
Reference1277rev
Inscription2011 (35th Session)
Area176.2 ha (435 acres)
Buffer zone6,008 ha (14,850 acres)
Coordinates39°0′4″N 141°6′28″E / 39.00111°N 141.10778°E / 39.00111; 141.10778
Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi is located in Japan
Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi
Location of Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi in Japan

The site covers 5 locations. Four of these places are Buddhist temples. The sacred Mount Kinkeisan is also included in the group The properties and their buffer zones are covered by a range of Japanese government protections as historic sites and places of scenic beauty.[1]

History

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Hiraizumi was an important political, military, commercial, and cultural centre from the late-11th century until the late 12th-century. This time was marked by the building and endowment of Buddhist temples, art and gardens.[2]

Pure Land Buddhism developed a concept of planning and garden design that was unique to Japan.[1]

The four Pure Land gardens of Hiraizumi show the ideals of Pure Land Buddhism. The gardens also show Japanese concepts about the relationship between gardens, water and the surrounding landscape.[1]

The four gardens were developed by the Ōshū Fujiwara clan. The poet Matsuo Bashō was inspired by this Fujiwara legacy.[3] In 1689, Bashō wrote: "Three generations of glory vanished in the space of a dream ...."[4]

In 2011, UNESCO listed parts of Hiraizumi as a World Heritage Site.[1]

Locations

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Name Image Location Notes
Chūson-ji (中尊寺)   Hiraizumi cultural site
Mōtsū-ji (毛越寺)   Hiraizumi cultural site
Kanjizaiō-in (観自在王院跡)   Hiraizumi cultural site
Muryōkō-in (無量光院跡)   Hiraizumi cultural site
Mount Kinkeisan (金鶏山, Kinkeizan)   Hiraizumi natural site
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 UNESCO, "Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land"; retrieved 2012-4-22.
  2. ↑ Yiengpruksawan, Mimi Hall. (1998). Hiraizumi: Buddhist Art and Regional Politics in Twelfth-Century Japan,p. 186.
  3. ↑ Miner, Earl (1969). Japanese Poetic Diaries, p. 176.
  4. ↑ Keene, Donald. (1999). Travelers of a hundred ages, p. 315.

Other websites

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  Media related to Hiraizumi, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons


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