Shiramizu Amidadō


Shiramizu Amida-dō, is a chapel located within the Buddhist temple of Ganjō-ji in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The Amida-dō is a National Treasure and the temple, with its paradise garden, has been designated an National Historic Site.

History

The temple of Ganjō-ji' was built in 1160 by Princess Tokuhime, daughter of Fujiwara no Kiyohira of the Hiraizumi Fujiwara clan, as a memorial temple for her husband, Iwaki Norimichi.The temple was granted imperial status by Emperor Go-Toba, and was protected and patronized by successive daimyo of Iwakitaira Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. The temple converted at some point from the Pure Land to the Shingon denomination and remains an active temple; however, the Pure Land Garden, including the pond, is now owned and managed by Iwaki City.
The temple was closed to the public due to the damage caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, but restoration was completed in July 2012 and the temple reopened.

Buildings

Inside the Amidadō are five statues:
Between 1972 and 1982 archaeological investigations were conducted into the pond, pebble beach, ornamental stones, peninsula, central island, and bridges of the twelfth-century paradise garden.

Gallery