Access｜白水阿弥陀堂

Because the Amida Hall is surrounded by ponds on the east, west, and south, a worship path has been laid out from the south, which is the front, passing over the central island to reach the hall. Furthermore, the north, east, and west are enclosed by mountains, and the spaces centered on the Amida Hall present the very appearance of a Pure Land-style garden that flourished in the late Heian period. These features reflect the influence of the layouts of Hiraizumi temples such as Motsu-ji and Muryoko-in as adopted by Princess Tokuhime. In fact, the place name “Shiramizu” is said to derive from splitting the character “泉” in “Hiraizumi,” and there is also a theory that “Taira,” the Iwaki clan’s stronghold, likewise takes the character “平” from “Hiraizumi.”

【National Treasure】 ◇ Amida Hall 　Both the length and the depth are three bays; a single-story hogyo-style structure. The roof is wooden shingles. Designated a National Treasure (building) on March 29, 1952 (Showa 27). 【Important Cultural Property (Nationally Designated)】 ◇ Three wooden statues: Amida Nyorai and his two flanking attendants ◇ Two wooden standing statues: Jikokuten (traditionally identified at the temple as Komokuten) ・ Tamonten 【Historic Site (Nationally Designated)】 ◇ Shiramizu Amida Hall Precinct 　Archaeological excavations revealed that the National Treasure Amida Hall was built on a central island set within a large pond, displaying a typical composition of a Pure Land garden. On September 12, 1966 (Showa 41), a vast area of 243,669 square meters, including surrounding forests, farmland, and residential plots, was designated a national Historic Site.

Amida Hall is a square, three-bay, single-story hogyo-style structure with a wooden shingle roof. Faint traces of murals remain inside. Enshrined within are five Buddhist images: a statue of Amida Nyorai; the flanking attendant statues of Kannon Bosatsu and Seishi Bosatsu; and two Heavenly Kings (Jikokuten and Tamonten). In the Tohoku region, only three Heian-period buildings survive: Chuson-ji’s Konjikido in Hiraizumi, Iwate; the Amida Hall of Takakuraji in Kakuda, Miyagi; and the Shiramizu Amida Hall, making this hall extremely valuable historically.