Hiraizumi, Iwate

Hiraizumi (平泉町, Hiraizumi-chō) is a town located in Nishiiwai District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2014, the town had an estimated population of 7,976 and a population density of 126 persons per km². The total area was 63.39  km².

It is noted for the Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi, which achieved UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2011 .

Geography

Hiraizumi is the smallest municipality in Iwate Prefecture in terms of area. located in a basin in south-central Iwate Prefecture, surrounded by the Kitakami Mountains.

Neighboring municipalities

History

The area of present-day Hiraizumi was part of ancient Mutsu Province. It was the home of the Hiraizumi Fujiwaras for about 100 years in the late Heian era and most of the following Kamakura period. At the same time it served as the de facto capital of Ōshū, an area containing nearly a third of the Japanese land area. At its height the population of Hiraizumi reached 50,000 or more than 100,000, rivaling Kyoto in size and splendor.