Muryōkō-in Ato

Overview

Muryōkō-in Ato is the site of a former temple located in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture. It was originally built by Fujiwara no Hidehira in imitation of Byōdō-in in Kyoto, and is said to have once surpassed Byōdō-in in scale. The temple was destroyed by repeated fires, and today only earthen embankments and stone foundations remain.

Highlights

• ●A temple site built in imitation of Byōdō-in in Kyoto
• ●Said to have surpassed Byōdō-in in scale at the time of its construction
• ●Only earthen embankments and stone foundations survive today
• ●Designated as a Special National Historic Site of Japan

History

Muryōkō-in was built by Fujiwara no Hidehira, modeled on Byōdō-in in Kyoto. It is said to have once been an even more splendid temple than Byōdō-in, but it was lost to repeated fires, leaving only earthen embankments and stone foundations visible today. The site is designated as a Special National Historic Site of Japan. On June 26, 2011, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the component assets of Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land.

Map

38.9931, 141.1160 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Enter the site and take in the overall layout of the ruins
2. 2Follow the remaining earthen embankments to picture the scale of the former temple complex
3. 3Pause at the central area where stone foundations remain to imagine the original structure
4. 4Walk the full grounds to appreciate the site's value as part of the Hiraizumi World Heritage property

Did you know?

💡 Although repeated fires destroyed the temple, the surviving earthen embankments and stone foundations still convey a sense of its former form.

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