Takadachi Gikeidō

Takadachi Gikeidō
Takadachi Gikeidō
高館義経堂
	Takadachi Gikeidō
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhist
Location
Country	Japan
	Shown within Iwate Prefecture Takadachi Gikeidō (Japan)
Geographic coordinates	38°59′50.25″N 141°6′48.75″E / 38.9972917°N 141.1135417°E
Architecture
Founder	Date Tsunamura
Completed	1683
	Place of Scenic Beauty

Takadachi Gikeidō (高館義経堂) is a Buddhist chapel located in Hiraizumi in what is now southern Iwate Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan, dedicated to Minamoto no Yoshitsune. It was designated a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty in 2014 as part of the Landscapes of the Oku no Hosomichi.^[1] It is managed by neighboring Mōtsū-ji.

Overview[edit]

The chapel is located on the site of the Battle of Koromogawa, and was built on the ruins of the Koromogawa Palace (衣川館, Koromogawa-no-tachi) of Fujiwara no Motohari as was mentioned in the Azuma Kagami. The palace was located on a hill overlooking the Kitakami River some 500 meters east-southeast of the temple of Chūson-ji. In 1189, it was occupied by Fujiwara no Yasuhira, who extended shelter to Minamoto no Yoshitsune after the latter had a falling out with his brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo. This provided Yoritomo with a pretext to declare war on the Northern Fujiwara and his forces quickly overran the defenses of Hiraizumi. The palace was destroyed and was the site of Yoshitsune's last stand with his faithful retainer Benkei, as was celebrated in the medieval account Gikeiki.

In 1683, the 4th daimyō of Sendai Domain, Date Tsunamura built a memorial chapel on the site, and enshrined a statue of Yotsushine. This was visited by famed poet, Matsuo Basho in 1689, and a memorial stelae was later erected commemorating a famous haiku Basho wrote about this site.