UNESCO - Hiraizumi, Buddhist Pure Land - Mōtsū-ji Postcard

UNESCO WHS Serie - Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land - 平泉－仏国土（浄土）を表す建築・庭園及び考古学的遺跡群 - Motsu-ji - 毛越寺 - The Heritage Site comprises 5 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. Mōtsū-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect and also refers to the historic area surrounding it containing the ruins of two older temples, Enryū-ji (圓隆寺) and Kashō-ji (嘉祥寺) in a Jōdo (Pure Land) garden. Mōtsū-ji was founded in 850 by Ennin (Jikaku Daishi). At the time, the area was a frontier between Yamato Japan and the Emishi of the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū. Name: Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land - 平泉－仏国土（浄土）を表す建築・庭園及び考古学的遺跡群 Site: Mōtsū-ji - 毛越寺 Country: Japan Location: City of Hiraizumi-chō, Nishiiwa District, Iwate Prefecture, Tōhoku Region Inscription: 2011 Category: Cultural (ii)(vi) Unesco Ref: 1277-002 Special Feature: The card has a QR-Code on the backside to navigate for more Informationas about the side