October 2, 2025
Day 30 — Kitakami to Ichinoseki
Obsessive readers will have noted that the previous Yokote to Kitikami leg represented a jiggy-jog east. “Why east instead of south or west?” that unusually attentive reader will have asked themselves. Well, nosy, the reason for that was to visit the Buddhist temples at Hiraizumi, a world heritage site south of Kitakami.
Hiraizumi was a site of political, military, commercial and religious power for several hundred years around 1000 years ago. Several sizeable Buddhist temple sites associated with “Pure Land Buddhism” were established in the area at that time. Over the years much fell into decay or was destroyed (the usual Japanese dynamic of wood structures and warfare). Some original structures and artifacts remain, and much has been reconstructed, and the main temple site at Chuson-ji is an active religious and cultural site today. One of the most important artifacts at Chuson-ji is a temple building with altars and tombs from the 12th century covered entirely in gold leaf.
Kitakami was a good 40km north of Hiraizumi, so there was still a ride to do to get there. Fuelled by the Comfort Inn’s buffet, and with little elevation gain or wind, we got to Hiraizumi a little after 11, so had a good few hours to explore.
We left the bikes out front of the Buddhist Cultural Centre, thinking the odds of bike theft, already negligible in Japan, were even lower there. The first stop was Chuson-ji, which was a large site containing a number of temples and shrines nestled in among the forest, and included a museum containing the golden altar and other significant artifacts.
We had a good wander through the site, poking our noses in temples and shrines, and generally enjoying the reflective ambiance among the tall trees. Eventually we came upon the museum housing artifacts and the golden temple building, and ponied up the entrance fee.
Though much has been lost, there remain a number of sutras from the 12th century, the most impressive of which were written in gold and silver on indigo parchment. The Konjiko-do, the 900 year old golden altar, was truly stunning. It was essentially an altar building covered in gold, with intricate altars, Buddha figures and ornamentation all covered in gold. It still housed the crypts and mummies of three generations of the founder’s family.
After the museum we continued our wander. Notable among the buildings we wandered by was a structure where they regularly scheduled Noh plays.
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After Choson-Ji, we also toured the grounds of Muryoko-in, and Motsu-ji, both sites where the original temples have been destroyed, but continue to contain elaborate gardens surrounded by reconstructed temples.
Leaving Hiraizumi, our ride into Ichinoseki, where we had a hotel booked, took us past yet another temple site, the Takaku-no-Iwaya, notable for having a Buddha carved into the rock face — the most northerly such carving in Japan.
After that, it was a quick pedal back to the modern era — to another Comfort Inn on the outskirts of Ichinoseki, and to some ramen noodles in a chain restaurant amongst the big box stores.
Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,528 km (949 miles)
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