Kanjizaiō-in （観自在王院）refers to a former temple in Hiraizumi founded by the wife of Fujiwara no Motohira, the second of the Northern Fujiwara

Northern Fujiwara

The Northern Fujiwara were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region of Japan from the 12th to the 13th centuries as if it were their own realm. They succeeded the semi-independent Emishi families of the 11th century who were gradually brought down by the Minamoto clan loyal to the...

 rulers. It sat directly across the Frontier Way from Enryu-ji and Kasho-ji, her husband's twin temples. Her temple shared the Pure Land

Pure land

A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...

 theme with her husbands temples and both had large ponds with variable coastlines surrounded by Pure Land gardens. The pond was fed by a stream from Mōtsū-ji

Motsu-ji

Mōtsū-ji （毛越寺）refers to the Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in Hiraizumi and 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 garden. The current temple was built in the 18th century and bears no relation to the ancient...

. Both Mōtsū-ji and Kanjizaiō-in also had large earthen walls surrounding their compounds with majestic entrance gates. Where the temples at Mōtsū-ji were elaborate and opulent, Kanjizaiō-in was much plainer and simpler.

The buildings at Kanjizaiō-in consisted of a Large Amida

Amida

Amida can mean:* Amitabha, an important Buddha in East Asian Buddhism* Amida , a beetle genus* Amida Buddha* Amidah, the central prayer of the Jewish services* Amidakuji, a way of drawing lots* Amitabh Bachchan, an actor...

 Hall and a Small Amida Hall. There were bridges from the entrance gate on the south to an island in the center of the lake then to the Amida Halls on the north. There may have been a pagoda on the east as well. The Large Amida Hall contained an Amida triad and its walls were painted with scenes of Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

. The walls of the Small Amida Hall were decorated with poems written by Fujiwara no Norinaga much like the walls at Enryu-ji. It is possible that Motohira's wife lived in the smaller hall and worshipped in the larger one. Some scholars suppose that Kanjizaiō-in was built after Motohira's death as a memorial to him.

Both Mōtsū-ji and Kanjizaiō-in were destroyed by fire in 1226 following the downfall of the Fujiwara dynasty. None of the buildings have been rebuilt. Today there is a large grassy park with the pond still in place as it was in the 12th century. Admission is free.

See also

• For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  This is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries...
  
  .

External links

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