hiraizumi
states: [japan]
category: cultural
year: 2011
location: Iwate Prefecture
region: Asia and the Pacific
latitude/longitude: 39.0011111111, 141.1077777778
visited: 2018
Hiraizumi - Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land comprises five sites, including the sacred Mount Kinkeisan. It features vestiges of government offices dating from the 11th and 12th centuries when Hiraizumi was the administrative centre of the northern realm of Japan and rivalled Kyoto. The realm was based on the cosmology of Pure Land Buddhism, which spread to Japan in the 8th century. It represented the pure land of Buddha that people aspire to after death, as well as peace of mind in this life. In combination with indigenous Japanese nature worship and Shintoism, Pure Land Buddhism developed a concept of planning and garden design that was unique to Japan.
Copyright © 1992 - 2024 UNESCO/World Heritage Centre. All rights reserved.
