Chusonji and Hiraizumi

Hiraizumi was the seat of a northern branch of the Fujiwara family in the twelfth century, wealthy on gold and horses, and its temples were built as a Buddhist paradise made visible on the ground. Most of that is gone. What remains at Chusonji, up a long cedar-lined slope, is the Konjikido: a small hall entirely covered in gold leaf, its interior columns inlaid with mother-of-pearl and lacquer, with the remains of the family lords beneath the altar platform. It now stands inside a plain modern shelter, viewed through glass in low light. Down the road, Motsuji keeps something rarer still, the pond and shoreline of a Pure Land garden laid out to the same idea.

What you actually see

• The Konjikido - gold leaf inside and out, with mother-of-pearl inlay, seen through glass in a protective hall.
• Tsukimizaka - the long approach slope under very old cedars, steep enough to slow everyone down.
• The treasure house - sutras written in gold and silver on indigo paper, and temple sculpture.
• Motsuji's garden pond - the surviving shoreline and stones of a twelfth century paradise garden.

When to go

Fresh green in May and June suits the cedar approach, and late October colour is the strongest season. Winter snow is beautiful and the slope becomes slippery. Mornings are quietest. Nothing requires booking, though the loop bus runs to a limited timetable and walking between Chusonji and Motsuji takes about half an hour.

Honest expectations

The Konjikido is smaller than the photographs suggest, behind glass, dimly lit and off limits to cameras, and the visit lasts a few minutes after a long uphill walk. The rest of the hill is ordinary temple buildings and souvenir stalls. Signage is thin in English. Hiraizumi is a small station town with almost nothing open in the evening.

Nearby

Geibikei gorge with its poled boats is a short train ride south from Ichinoseki.