Motsu-ji is what remains of a great temple in Hiraizumi, in Iwate prefecture, where a powerful family built a Buddhist paradise in the twelfth century. The Northern Fujiwara ruled the far north from here for about a hundred years, rich on gold from the mountains and horses and trade with the north, and they wanted to make a capital to rival Kyoto. Hiraizumi is the heritage that survived, and UNESCO inscribed it in 2011. Ichinoseki, the nearest city, is a few kilometres south.
Motsu-ji is mostly a garden now. The great halls burned down centuries ago, but the lake and its islands survive, one of the best-preserved Pure Land gardens in Japan, designed to represent paradise on earth, with a shoreline of rocks and a reconstructed path. Foundations of buildings show where the halls stood. In early summer the iris garden blooms, and in late August the lake hosts a festival with poetry floating on a stream, a courtly pastime from the Heian court.
The poet Basho came through in 1689 on his journey in the narrow road to the deep north, and wrote one of his best-known verses about the summer grass as all that remains of warriors' dreams. That feeling is exactly right at Motsu-ji. Nearby Chuson-ji, on a wooded ridge, has the Golden Hall, covered in gold leaf, and the whole place has a mood of calm, elegant melancholy.
Riding here is gentle. Roads through the Kitakami river valley are flat and straight, with rice fields and low mountains, and traffic is light. Fuel and food are easy in Ichinoseki and Hiraizumi, and the area is known for mochi dishes, served in many forms. Winter brings snow, and the best seasons are late spring and autumn. Park near the site and walk, since there is no need to rush.