Ganjoji Temple Shiramizu Amida Hall

Ganshoji Shiramizu Amida-do is said to have been founded and built in 1160 by Toku-hime, the daughter of Fujiwara no Kiyohira, to pray for the repose of her husband, Lord Iwaki Norimichi. It is a representative example of late Heian-period Amida-do architecture, known for its beautifully curved roof. Because few Amida halls survive today, it is an especially precious cultural site. It is the only building in Fukushima Prefecture designated as a National Treasure. Inside the hall, Important Cultural Properties are enshrined, including the "Wooden Seated Amida Nyorai with Attendants" and the "Wooden Standing Jikokuten" and "Wooden Standing Tamonten" statues. The adjoining Pure Land garden is beautiful in every season, with plum blossoms, Yamazakura cherry trees, irises, lotus flowers, bush clover, and more coming into bloom one after another throughout the year. In the autumn foliage season, the large ginkgo tree, designated as a City Natural Monument, is another highlight. The "New Year’s Brilliance Festival" is also held across the year-end period, making it a popular spot for hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the year). Access to Ganshoji Shiramizu Amida-do is by taking a bus from JR Iwaki Station on the Joban Line bound for Kawahira, getting off at the Amida-do bus stop, and walking about 5 minutes. If traveling by car, free parking is available.