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Coordinates: 38°59′11.8″N 141°06′49.8″E / 38.986611°N 141.113833°E / 38.986611; 141.113833
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{{Short description|Town in Iwate Prefecture, Japan}}
{{redirect|Hiraizumi}}
{{about|the town|other uses|Hiraizumi (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name = Hiraizumi
| name = Hiraizumi
| official_name =
| official_name =
| native_name =葛巻町
| native_name ={{nobold|{{lang|ja|平泉町}}}}
| native_name_lang = ja
| native_name_lang = ja
| settlement_type = Town
| settlement_type = [[Towns of Japan|Town]]
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline = Konjikido-Ooido.jpg
| image_skyline = 230728 Chusonji Hiraizumi Iwate pref Japan01s3.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| image_alt =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =Chūson-ji, a World Heritage site in Hiraizumi
| image_caption = Chūson-ji, a World Heritage site in Hiraizumi
| image_flag = Flag of Hiraizumi Iwate.JPG {{!}}
| image_flag = Flag of Hiraizumi, Iwate.svg
| flag_alt =
| flag_alt =
| image_seal = Hiraizumi Iwate chapter.JPG
| image_blank_emblem = Emblem of Hiraizumi, Iwate.svg
| seal_alt =
| blank_emblem_type = Emblem
| image_shield =
| shield_alt =
| image_blank_emblem =
| nickname =
| nickname =
| motto =
| motto =
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| image_map = Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture Ja.svg
| image_map = Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_alt =
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location of Hiraizumi in [[Iwate Prefecture]]
| map_caption = Location of Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture
| pushpin_map = Japan
| pushpin_map = Japan
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = &nbsp;
| pushpin_map_caption = &nbsp;
| coordinates = {{coord|38|59|11.8|N|141|06|49.8|E|region:JP|display=inline,title}}
| latd=38 | latm=59| lats=01| latNS=N
| longd=141 | longm=07| longs=02| longEW= E
| coor_pinpoint = <!-- to specify exact location of coordinates (was coor_type) -->
| coor_pinpoint = <!-- to specify exact location of coordinates (was coor_type) -->
| coordinates_display = inline,title
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
<!-- location -->
<!-- location -->
| coordinates_region = JP
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = [[Japan]]
| subdivision_name = Japan
| subdivision_type1 = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Tōhoku region|Tōhoku]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Tōhoku region|Tōhoku]]
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| subdivision_name2 = [[Iwate Prefecture|Iwate]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Iwate Prefecture|Iwate]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Nishiiwai District, Iwate|Nishiiwai]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Nishiiwai District, Iwate|Nishiiwai]]
<!-- established -->
<!-- established -->
| established_title = <!-- Settled -->
| established_title = First official recorded
| established_date =
| established_date = 792 AD
| established_title2 = Town settled
| established_date2 = October 1, 1953
| founder =
| founder =
| named_for =
| named_for =
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| government_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| government_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| leader_party =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = -Mayor
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Masayoshi Sugawara (since September 2010)
| leader_name = Yukio Aoki (from August 2014)
| leader_title1 =
| leader_title1 =
| leader_name1 = <!-- etc., up to leader_title4 / leader_name4 -->
| leader_name1 = <!-- etc., up to leader_title4 / leader_name4 -->
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<!-- population -->
<!-- population -->
| population_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| population_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| population_total = 7976
| population_total = 7408
| population_as_of = February 2014
| population_as_of = April 30, 2020
| population_density_km2 = 126
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_est =
| population_est =
| pop_est_as_of =
| pop_est_as_of =
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| blank1_info_sec2 = 45-2 Hiraizumi Shirayama, Hiraizumi-chō, Nishi-Iwai-gun, Iwate-ken 029-4192
| blank1_info_sec2 = 45-2 Hiraizumi Shirayama, Hiraizumi-chō, Nishi-Iwai-gun, Iwate-ken 029-4192
<!-- website, footnotes -->
<!-- website, footnotes -->
| website = {{Official website|http://www.town.kuzumaki.iwate.jp/}}
| website ={{official|1=http://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp}}
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}
[[File:Hiraizumi town-office.jpg|right|thumb|270px|Hiraizumi Town Hall]]
{{nihongo| '''Hiraizumi'''|平泉町|Hiraizumi-chō}} is a [[Towns of Japan|town]] located in [[Nishiiwai District, Iwate|Nishiiwai District]], [[Iwate Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. As of February 2014, the town had an estimated [[population]] of 7,976 and a [[population density]] of 126 persons per km². The total area was 63.39 &nbsp;km².
{{Nihongo| '''Hiraizumi'''|平泉町|Hiraizumi-chō}} is a [[Towns of Japan|town]] located in [[Nishiiwai District, Iwate Prefecture]], Japan. {{As of|2020|04|30}}, the town had an estimated [[population]] of 7,408 and a [[population density]] of {{convert|120|pd/sqkm}} in 2,616 households.<ref>[https://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp Hiraizumi town official statistics]{{in lang|ja}}</ref> The total area of the town was {{cvt|63.39|km2}}. It is noted for the [[Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi]], which achieved [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] status in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1277|title = Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land}}</ref>

It is noted for the [[Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi]], which achieved [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] status in 2011 [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1277].


==Geography==
==Geography==
Hiraizumi is the smallest municipality in Iwate Prefecture in terms of area. located in a basin in south-central Iwate Prefecture, surrounded by the [[Kitakami Mountains]].
Hiraizumi is the smallest municipality in Iwate Prefecture in terms of area. Located in a basin in south-central Iwate Prefecture in the [[Tōhoku region]] of northern Honshu, the town is surrounded by the [[Kitakami Mountains]].


===Neighboring municipalities===
===Neighboring municipalities===
*Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
**[[Ichinoseki, Iwate]]
*[[Ichinoseki, Iwate|Ichinoseki]]
**[[Ōshū, Iwate]]
*[[Ōshū, Iwate|Ōshū]]

===Climate===
Hiraizumi has a [[humid subtropical climate|humid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa'') characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Hiraizumi is 10.8&nbsp;°C. The average annual rainfall is 1265&nbsp;mm with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4&nbsp;°C, and lowest in January, at around -1.9&nbsp;°C.<ref>[https://en.climate-data.org/location/49278/ Hiraizumiclimate data]</ref>

==Demographics==
Per Japanese census data,<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-iwate.php Hiraizumi population statistics]</ref> the population of Hiraizumi peaked around 1950, and has declined over the past 70 years.

{{Historical populations
| 1920 | 7,924
| 1930 | 8,564
| 1940 | 9,047
| 1950 | 11,320
| 1960 | 10,590
| 1970 | 9,474
| 1980 | 9,253
| 1990 | 9,493
| 2000 | 9,054
| 2010 | 8,345
| 2020 | 7,252
|align = none
| footnote =
}}


==History==
==History==
The area of present-day Hiraizumi was part of ancient [[Mutsu Province]]. It was the home of the [[Northern Fujiwara|Hiraizumi Fujiwaras]] for about 100 years in the late [[Heian era]] and most of the following [[Kamakura period]]. At the same time it served as the ''de facto'' capital of [[Tohoku region|Ōshū]], an area containing nearly a third of the Japanese land area. At its height the population of Hiraizumi reached 50,000<ref>Tertius Chandler, "Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census", The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston (1987).</ref> or more than 100,000,<ref>Toshio Sanuki, "Toshi no Seisui Rankingu (Rise and Fall Ranking of Urbans)", Jiji Tsushin Sha, Tokyo (1996).</ref> rivaling [[Kyoto]] in size and splendor.
The area of present-day Hiraizumi was part of ancient [[Mutsu Province]]. It was the home of the [[Northern Fujiwara]] clan for about 100 years in the late [[Heian era]], during which time it served as the ''de facto'' capital of [[Tohoku region|Ōshū]], an area containing nearly a third of the Japanese land area. At its height the population of Hiraizumi reached 50,000<ref>Tertius Chandler, "Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census", The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston (1987).</ref> or more than 100,000,<ref>Toshio Sanuki, "Toshi no Seisui Rankingu (Rise and Fall Ranking of Urbans)", Jiji Tsushin Sha, Tokyo (1996).</ref> rivaling [[Kyoto]] in size and splendor.


The first structure built in Hiraizumi may have been Hakusan Shrine on top of Mount Kanzan (Barrier Mountain). A writer in 1334 recorded that the shrine was already 700 years old. Although rebuilt many times, the same shrine is still standing in the same location.
The first structure built in Hiraizumi may have been Hakusan Shrine on top of Mount Kanzan (Barrier Mountain). A writer in 1334 recorded that the shrine was already 700 years old. Although rebuilt many times, the same shrine is still standing in the same location.


In about 1100, [[Fujiwara no Kiyohira]] moved his home from Fort Toyoda in present day [[Esashi, Iwate|Esashi]], in the city of [[Ōshū, Iwate|Ōshū]] to Mount Kanzan in Hiraizumi. This location was significant for several reasons. Kanzan is situated at the junction of two rivers, the [[Kitakami River|Kitakami]] and the [[Koromo River|Koromo]]. Traditionally the Koromo River served as the boundary between Japan to the south and the [[Emishi]] peoples to the north. By building his home south of the Koromo, Kiyohira (half Emishi himself) demonstrated his intention to rule Ōshū without official sanction from the [[Yamato dynasty|court in Kyoto]]. Kanzan was also directly on the Ōshū Kaido, the main road leading from Kyoto to the northern lands as they opened up. Kanzan was also seen as the exact center of Ōshū which stretched from the Shirakawa Barrier in the south to [[Sotogahama, Aomori|Sotogahama]] in present day [[Aomori Prefecture]].
In about 1100, [[Fujiwara no Kiyohira]] moved his home from Fort Toyoda in present-day [[Esashi, Iwate|Esashi]], in the city of [[Ōshū, Iwate|Ōshū]] to Mount Kanzan in Hiraizumi. This location was significant for several reasons. Kanzan is situated at the junction of two rivers, the [[Kitakami River|Kitakami]] and the [[Koromo River|Koromo]]. Traditionally the Koromo River served as the boundary between Japan to the south and the [[Emishi]] peoples to the north. By building his home south of the Koromo, Kiyohira (half Emishi himself) demonstrated his intention to rule Ōshū without official sanction from the [[Imperial House of Japan|court in Kyoto]]. Kanzan was also directly on the [[Ōshū Kaidō]], the main road leading from Kyoto to the northern lands as they opened up. Kanzan was also seen as the exact center of Ōshū which stretched from the Shirakawa Barrier in the south to [[Sotogahama, Aomori|Sotogahama]] in present-day [[Aomori Prefecture]].


Kiyohira built the large temple complex on Kanzan known as [[Chūson-ji]]. The first structure was a large [[pagoda]] at the very top of the mountain. In conjunction with this he placed small umbrella reliquaries (kasa sotoba) every hundred meters along the Ōshū kaido decorated with placards depicting [[Amida Buddha]] painted in gold. Other pagodas, temples and gardens followed including the [[Konjikido]], a jewel box of a building intended to represent the Buddhist Pure Land and the final resting place of the Fujiwara lords.
Kiyohira built the large temple complex known as [[Chūson-ji]].<ref name=Sansom>{{Cite book |last=Sansom |first=George |title=A History of Japan to 1334 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofjapanto00sans |url-access=registration |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1958 |isbn=0804705232 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofjapanto00sans/page/254 254], 326}}</ref> The first structure was a large [[pagoda]] at the very top of the mountain. In conjunction with this, he placed small umbrella reliquaries (''kasa sotoba'') every hundred meters along the Ōshū kaidō decorated with placards depicting [[Amida Buddha]] painted in gold. Other pagodas, temples and gardens followed including the Konjiki-dō, a jewel box of a building intended to represent the Buddhist [[Pure Land]] and the final resting place of the Fujiwara lords.


Hiraizumi's golden age lasted for nearly 100 years, but after the fall of the Fujiwara the town sank back into relative obscurity, and most of the buildings that gave the town its cultural prominence were destroyed. When the poet [[Matsuo Bashō]] saw the state of the town in 1689 he penned a famous [[haiku]] about the impermanence of human glory:
Hiraizumi's golden age lasted for nearly 100 years. It was destroyed in 1189,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wordpress.com/post/matsuobashohaiku.home.blog/160 |title = WordPress.com}}</ref> and, after the fall of the Fujiwara clan, the town sank back into relative obscurity, and most of the buildings that gave the town its cultural prominence were destroyed. When the poet [[Matsuo Bashō]] saw the state of the town in 1689 he penned a famous [[haiku]] about the impermanence of human glory:


:夏草や / 兵どもが / 夢の跡
:''Natsu kusa ya! / Tsuwamono-domo ga / yume no ato''
:''Natsukusa ya! / Tsuwamono-domo ga / yume no ato''
::Ah, summer grasses! / All that remains / Of the warriors' dreams. (1689) <ref>[http://www.haikupoetshut.com/basho1.html Basho's Haiku] at ''Haiku Poets Hut''</ref>
::Ah, summer grasses! / All that remains / Of the warriors' dreams. (1689)<ref>[http://www.haikupoetshut.com/basho1.html Basho's Haiku] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020709101938/http://www.haikupoetshut.com/basho1.html |date=2002-07-09 }} at ''Haiku Poets Hut''</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://wordpress.com/post/matsuobashohaiku.home.blog/160 |title = WordPress.com}}</ref>


The modern Hiraizumi village was created on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the municipality system. Hiraizumi was raised to town status on October 1, 1953. It annexed neighboring Nagashima village on April 15, 1955. The town lost some land to the city of [[Ichinoseki, Iwate|Ichinoseki]] on September 1, 1956 and again on May 1, 1964.
Modern Hiraizumi village was created on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the post-[[Meiji restoration]] municipality system. Hiraizumi was raised to town status on October 1, 1953. It annexed neighboring Nagashima village on April 15, 1955. The town lost some land to the city of [[Ichinoseki, Iwate|Ichinoseki]] on September 1, 1956, and again on May 1, 1964.

==Government==
Hiraizumi has a [[mayor-council]] form of government with a directly elected mayor and a [[unicameral]] town council of 12 members.<ref>[https://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp/index.cfm/27,0,135,294,html Hiraizumi Town Council]</ref> Hiraizumi and the city of Ichinoseki collectively contribute five seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of [[Iwate 3rd district]] of the [[House of Representatives of Japan|lower house]] of the [[Diet of Japan]].


==Economy==
==Economy==
The local economy is based on agriculture and tourism.
The local economy is based on agriculture and tourism.

==Education==
Hiraizumi has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.


==Transportation==
==Transportation==
*[[East Japan Railway Company]] (JR East) - [[Tōhoku Main Line]]
[[File:JR logo (east).svg|22px]] [[East Japan Railway Company]] (JR East) - [[Tōhoku Main Line]]
**[[Hiraizumi Station]]
*{{STN|Hiraizumi}}


===Highway===
===Highway===
*[[Tōhoku Expressway]] – Chusonji PA – Hiraizumi-Maezawa IC
* {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E4}} – Chusonji PA – Hiraizumi-Maezawa IC
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|4}}
*[[Japan National Route 4]]


==International relations==
==International relations==
{{flag|China}} – [[Tiantai County]], [[Zhejiang Province]], China – friendship city since 2010
{{flag|China}} – [[Tiantai County]], [[Zhejiang Province]], China – friendship city since 2010

⚫
[[File:Motsujibellfry.jpg|thumb|The bellfry of Mōtsū-ji]]


==Local attractions==
==Local attractions==
⚫
[[File:Motsujibellfry.jpg|thumb|The belfry of Mōtsū-ji]]
Hiraizumi has a number of officially listed [[National Treasures of Japan|National Treasures]] and other culturally or historically notable sites.
Hiraizumi has a number of officially listed [[National Treasures of Japan|National Treasures]] and other culturally or historically notable sites.


Line 168: Line 192:
* [[Mōtsū-ji]] with a 'Pure Land' style [[Jōdo]] Garden
* [[Mōtsū-ji]] with a 'Pure Land' style [[Jōdo]] Garden
* The ruins of [[Kanjizaiō-in]] with its 'Pure Land' style Jōdo Garden
* The ruins of [[Kanjizaiō-in]] with its 'Pure Land' style Jōdo Garden
* The ruins of Muryokō-in (無量光院)
* The ruins of [[Muryōkō-in]]
* [[Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon Hall]] (達谷窟毘沙門堂)
* [[Takkoku-no-Iwaya]] Bishamon chapel


===Other places===
===Other places===
* [[Takadachi Gikeidō]] (高館義経堂)
* [[Takadachi Gikeidō]] (高館義経堂)
* The [[Yanagi no Gosho Site]] (柳之御所遺跡)
* [[Yanagi-no-Gosho]] Palace Site


==References==
==References==
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{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Wikivoyage|Hiraizumi}}
{{Wikivoyage|Hiraizumi}}
* {{Official website|http://www.town.kuzumaki.iwate.jp/}} {{ja icon}}
* {{official|1=http://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp}} {{in lang|ja}}
* {{Official website|http://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp}} {{Ja icon}}{{En icon}}{{Cn icon}}{{Ko icon}}
* [http://cat-vnet.tv/category150/151/index.html The Golden Land of Hiraizumi] (movie) {{Ja icon}}{{En icon}}{{Zh-cn icon}}


{{Iwate}}
{{Iwate}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Hiraizumi, Iwate| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Iwate Prefecture]]
[[Category:Towns in Iwate Prefecture]]

Latest revision as of 16:25, 15 July 2024

This article is about the town. For other uses, see Hiraizumi (disambiguation).
Hiraizumi
平泉町
Town
Chūson-ji, a World Heritage site in Hiraizumi
Chūson-ji, a World Heritage site in Hiraizumi
Flag of Hiraizumi
Flag
Official logo of Hiraizumi
Emblem
Location of Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture
Location of Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture
Hiraizumi is located in Japan
Hiraizumi
Hiraizumi
 
Coordinates: 38°59′11.8″N 141°06′49.8″E / 38.986611°N 141.113833°E / 38.986611; 141.113833
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureIwate
DistrictNishiiwai
First official recorded792 AD
Town settledOctober 1, 1953
Government
 • MayorYukio Aoki (from August 2014)
Area
 • Total63.39 km2 (24.48 sq mi)
Population
 (April 30, 2020)
 • Total7,408
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeCryptomeria
- FlowerSakura
- BirdJapanese bush warbler
Phone number0191-46-2111　
Address45-2 Hiraizumi Shirayama, Hiraizumi-chō, Nishi-Iwai-gun, Iwate-ken 029-4192
WebsiteOfficial website
Hiraizumi Town Hall

Hiraizumi (平泉町, Hiraizumi-chō) is a town located in Nishiiwai District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 April 2020, the town had an estimated population of 7,408 and a population density of 120 inhabitants per square kilometre (310/sq mi) in 2,616 households.[1] The total area of the town was 63.39 km2 (24.48 sq mi). It is noted for the Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi, which achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2011.[2]

Geography

[edit]

Hiraizumi is the smallest municipality in Iwate Prefecture in terms of area. Located in a basin in south-central Iwate Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshu, the town is surrounded by the Kitakami Mountains.

Neighboring municipalities

[edit]

Iwate Prefecture

Climate

[edit]

Hiraizumi has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Hiraizumi is 10.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1265 mm with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.9 °C.[3]

Demographics

[edit]

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Hiraizumi peaked around 1950, and has declined over the past 70 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 7,924—    
1930 8,564+8.1%
1940 9,047+5.6%
1950 11,320+25.1%
1960 10,590−6.4%
1970 9,474−10.5%
1980 9,253−2.3%
1990 9,493+2.6%
2000 9,054−4.6%
2010 8,345−7.8%
2020 7,252−13.1%

History

[edit]

The area of present-day Hiraizumi was part of ancient Mutsu Province. It was the home of the Northern Fujiwara clan for about 100 years in the late Heian era, during which time it served as the de facto capital of Ōshū, an area containing nearly a third of the Japanese land area. At its height the population of Hiraizumi reached 50,000[5] or more than 100,000,[6] rivaling Kyoto in size and splendor.

The first structure built in Hiraizumi may have been Hakusan Shrine on top of Mount Kanzan (Barrier Mountain). A writer in 1334 recorded that the shrine was already 700 years old. Although rebuilt many times, the same shrine is still standing in the same location.

In about 1100, Fujiwara no Kiyohira moved his home from Fort Toyoda in present-day Esashi, in the city of Ōshū to Mount Kanzan in Hiraizumi. This location was significant for several reasons. Kanzan is situated at the junction of two rivers, the Kitakami and the Koromo. Traditionally the Koromo River served as the boundary between Japan to the south and the Emishi peoples to the north. By building his home south of the Koromo, Kiyohira (half Emishi himself) demonstrated his intention to rule Ōshū without official sanction from the court in Kyoto. Kanzan was also directly on the Ōshū Kaidō, the main road leading from Kyoto to the northern lands as they opened up. Kanzan was also seen as the exact center of Ōshū which stretched from the Shirakawa Barrier in the south to Sotogahama in present-day Aomori Prefecture.

Kiyohira built the large temple complex known as Chūson-ji.[7] The first structure was a large pagoda at the very top of the mountain. In conjunction with this, he placed small umbrella reliquaries (kasa sotoba) every hundred meters along the Ōshū kaidō decorated with placards depicting Amida Buddha painted in gold. Other pagodas, temples and gardens followed including the Konjiki-dō, a jewel box of a building intended to represent the Buddhist Pure Land and the final resting place of the Fujiwara lords.

Hiraizumi's golden age lasted for nearly 100 years. It was destroyed in 1189,[8] and, after the fall of the Fujiwara clan, the town sank back into relative obscurity, and most of the buildings that gave the town its cultural prominence were destroyed. When the poet Matsuo Bashō saw the state of the town in 1689 he penned a famous haiku about the impermanence of human glory:

夏草や / 兵どもが / 夢の跡
Natsukusa ya! / Tsuwamono-domo ga / yume no ato
Ah, summer grasses! / All that remains / Of the warriors' dreams. (1689)[9][10]

Modern Hiraizumi village was created on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the post-Meiji restoration municipality system. Hiraizumi was raised to town status on October 1, 1953. It annexed neighboring Nagashima village on April 15, 1955. The town lost some land to the city of Ichinoseki on September 1, 1956, and again on May 1, 1964.

Government

[edit]

Hiraizumi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members.[11] Hiraizumi and the city of Ichinoseki collectively contribute five seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Iwate 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

[edit]

The local economy is based on agriculture and tourism.

Education

[edit]

Hiraizumi has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

[edit]

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Main Line

Highway

[edit]

International relations

[edit]

 China – Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province, China – friendship city since 2010

Local attractions

[edit]
The belfry of Mōtsū-ji

Hiraizumi has a number of officially listed National Treasures and other culturally or historically notable sites.

Buddhist temples

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Other places

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References

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  1. ^ Hiraizumi town official statistics(in Japanese)
  2. ^ "Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land".
  3. ^ Hiraizumiclimate data
  4. ^ Hiraizumi population statistics
  5. ^ Tertius Chandler, "Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census", The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston (1987).
  6. ^ Toshio Sanuki, "Toshi no Seisui Rankingu (Rise and Fall Ranking of Urbans)", Jiji Tsushin Sha, Tokyo (1996).
  7. ^ Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. p. 254, 326. ISBN 0804705232.
  8. ^ "WordPress.com".
  9. ^ Basho's Haiku Archived 2002-07-09 at the Wayback Machine at Haiku Poets Hut
  10. ^ "WordPress.com".
  11. ^ Hiraizumi Town Council
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Media related to Hiraizumi, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hiraizumi.
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