About
The Center for Hiraizumi Studies conducts comprehensive research into Hiraizumi culture, emphasizing collaboration with research institutions at home and abroad, and promoting research on the theme of 'The Internationality and Regionality of Hiraizumi Culture'.
Our goal is to comprehensively elucidate the significance of the Hiraizumi garden culture, which was created as an ideal land of Buddhism (Pure Land).
Iwate University has established the Center for Hiraizumi Studies as a research base, and with this center at its core, works in collaboration with the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education, the Hiraizumi Town Board of Education, the Iwate Higher Education Consortium (Iwate University, Iwate Prefectural University, Morioka University, Fuji University and Iwate Medical University), overseas universities, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and others. The aim is to synthesize the research of Hiraizumi culture from the international and academic perspective.
Through the project, we aim to clarify the international significance of Hiraizumi culture in East Asia, and to develop new research on medieval Japanese culture and ancient Chinese garden culture, the academic significance of which has not yet been fully understood. The project also aims to further develop international understandings of the universality of Hiraizumi culture and contribute to regional development by making use of the cultural heritage located in the region.