Motsuji Temple

Motsuji Temple is a serene Buddhist temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi. Founded in 850 CE by the monk Ennin, the temple reached its zenith under the Northern Fujiwara clan in the 12th century when it rivaled even the capital Kyoto in cultural splendor, housing over 40 temple halls and 500 monks' quarters. Though the original buildings were lost to fire, the temple's Pure Land Garden has been meticulously preserved and is considered one of the most complete surviving examples of Heian-period garden design in all of Japan. The garden centers on a large pond called Oizumi-ga-Ike, surrounded by carefully placed rock formations, gravelly beaches, and gently rising hills that together represent the Buddhist paradise on earth. Each May, the temple hosts the Gokusui-no-En poetry festival where participants in Heian-period court dress compose poems beside a winding stream, recreating a tradition that dates back to the golden age of the Fujiwara.