Chūsonji Temple

Amazing view and historical site, came on fall season 2023, not a very touristy place hence can feel the more serenity side of Japan. Use comfy shoes coz slight hike is needed from gateway.

If you came from hiraizumi station, use bus or bike, you can walk and enjoy the road (just like we did) but it’s quite far

A delightfully simple but very beautiful place especially as we visited there in winter. The simplicity of the building temple itself is wonderful. I certainly can see why it is designated as a National Treasure of Japan. The temple was founded in 1105 by Fujiwara Kiyohira, the founder of the Northern Fujiwara clan. Chuson-ji was the clan's菩提寺 (bodaiji), or mortuary temple, and was used as the burial place for many of the clan's members. The temple complex includes a number of important buildings, including the Konjikido, which is a National Treasure and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Japanese Buddhist architecture.

14/11/2023
Plenty of autumn leaves out definitely head there now if it's on your bucketlist!!
Bit of a steep climb up to it so be prepared! There's benches to rest on the way up anyways

Wow. We must said that as per many of shine there to pray respects and really interesting spots for tourists. Hence less of foreigners here main majority are local citizens which language may difficult for those who not familiar with it. But we passed.

Location: The cleanliness were excellent and amazing set up foe those required.

As of more than 950 Years old temples 🛕. It might do something right to keep themselves as of today.

This is definitely a 5-star spot for seeing
fall foliage in Iwate prefecture. Entrance is free of charge except you wish to see the Konjikido. The temple also illuminated the maple leaves in every evening for nearly 2 weeks during the peak of fall foliage. We were so lucky we could be there during the time. Unlike other temples which might charge you an additional fee for entry in the evening, the entry in the evening is free here👍👍👍

This Temple is a large comlex so allow about 2 hours to visit. It is so beautiful in late autumn.

The atmosphere is super nice, good spot to see red leaves in November period. A bit far away from station but you can rent a bike to look around. There are free parking under care in front of the temple. Clean toilets.

There are many national treasures and important cultural properties.

Beautiful and historic temple complex with the surrounding nature. The museum and konjikido paid area is worth for visiting. Recommend going early in the morning because there’s less people. As April 2023, loop bus runs only weekend and holidays. I prefer to take a bus (run every hour) from Ichinoseki sta. that connects to the shinkansen or use a taxi in front of Hiraizumi sta.

Beautiful place during authum. Its quite a steep climb uphill at the entrance. Wear suitable shoes when you are coming here.

A very comfortable place. Trees are beautiful. A good place to spend time to visit slowly.

Quite a nice small trek to the temple. I think the walk to the temple is more enjoyable than the destination.

In winter the snow is very slippery so you need snow boots. They offer ropes to tie to your shoes for grip. The road up initially is VERY slippery.

Visited the place on 9 Nov. The fall foliage’s at its peak. Spot lights were on from 4:30pm. The whole place was stunning.

I am glad I visited this majestic place during fall. The buildings seamlessly blend with the surrounding nature. Compared to Yamadera, another well-known temple of Tohoku which was originally constructed by Enin, Chuson-ji spans across a wider area and offers a real glimpse of the past. Unlike other places listed as UNESCO world heritages, this one isn’t “branded” as such through posters and signboards (I personally didn’t see the symbol of UNESCO anywhere) and may be that’s the reason why one can feel the authenticity and simplicity of the place as it had been throughout the years.

We arrived to this place unfortunately on a rainy day in October. The uphill trek was not only was muddy but also slippery. Ropes were installed for trekkers to hold on to. Sacks of soil were placed for sturdy steps. At the end of the long trek is a temple. It's a nice place to prayer. Otherwise there is really nothing much to see.

I love this place when I visit on May 2nd. The maple trees are in shining green so I can imagine it must be gorgeous at Koyo season which is beginning of November. I came by bus from Ichinoseki Shingansen station but I recommend to go through hiraizumi JRstation and get the information about how to get around the world heritage site . You can walk 10 minutes from JR station to Chuson ji.

World heritage site, beautiful and historic. I went during the off season in the snow and there was literally no tourists. Write a wish on the wooden tiles and tie them to the shrine for good luck.

7 minutes JR train (From Ichinoseki to Hiraizumi).
Then 6 minutes bus ride/20 minutes walk from Hiraizumi station.
You will have to walk a bit to reach the top. The garden is peaceful and you can enjoy sakura/autumn leaves. Definitely visit this place in Iwate.
Caution: Bus and train schedule

A historical temple, they perform wedding solemnisation too.

Love historical places! They are very beautiful locations and amazing for sightseeing. Chūson-ji Temple never fails to marvel me every time I visit. Make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes to go up the incline hillside and down the steep descent.