Chuson-ji

The Konjikido of Chuson-ji was raised in 1124 (Tenji 1). It was built by Fujiwara no Kiyohira, the first lord of the Oshu Fujiwara clan. Kiyohira lost family members in two great wars in Tohoku in the late 11th century, the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War, and he is said to have built the temple to guide to the Pure Land the spirits of those who died there and of every being that died without cause. Chuson-ji itself began in 1105 (Choji 2), when Kiyohira started building on Mt. Kanzan; it is said to have grown to over 40 temple buildings and more than 300 monks' quarters. The Konjikido is the building that still preserves its original form from that time. After these wars Kiyohira inherited the six districts of Oshu and the Oshu Fujiwara clan arose. The temple also has a tradition that Ennin of Mt. Hiei founded it in 850, but this is a kanjo kaizan, a founder honored later by people who revered his virtue.

The Konjikido is three bays by three, single-story, with a pyramidal roof covered in planks shaped like tiles. The building is small, but its interior is another world. The inner sanctuary is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay made from luminous sea snail shells brought from the south seas, along with ivory and jewels. On the central altar sits Amida Tathagata, flanked by the Kannon and Seishi bodhisattvas, six Jizo bodhisattvas, and the guardian kings Jikokuten and Zojoten. This arrangement of images is presented as having no parallel. The altar is also decorated with peacocks. It was designated a National Treasure in 1951.

Inside the altars of the Konjikido, the coffins of the first lord Kiyohira, the second lord Motohira, and the third lord Hidehira, together with the severed head of the fourth lord Yasuhira, remain there today. The hall is thus both a Buddhist hall representing the world of Amida and the burial place of the Oshu Fujiwara clan. Inside, the brilliance of the Pure Land and the stillness of facing the end of a family coexist. When looking at the details, follow the shine of the inlay and the arrangement of the images on the altar, one after the other.

The history of Chuson-ji also bears the marks of turbulent times. The Oshu Fujiwara fell in 1189 (Bunji 5), and an inscription on the bell of the old bell tower records a major fire in 1337 (Kenmu 4). In 2011 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List under the name Hiraizumi. Besides the Konjikido, the Sankozo, the Kyozo sutra repository, and the old Oi-do cover hall are open to visitors. As its name suggests, the old cover hall once sheltered the Konjikido, so look at it together with the hall.