Iizaka, Fukushima
Encyclopedia
was a town
located in Date District
, Fukushima
, Japan
. The town is situated in the north part of Fukushima City
.
As of April 1, 2006, the town has an estimated population
of 23,314. Iizaka is best known for its many onsen
, most notably Sabakoyu Onsen
, a public bath located downtown and reminiscent of similar onsen of the Edo period
. Iizaka is one of the most famous onsen
towns in the Tōhoku region
with over 70 hotels and ryokan along the banks of the Surikami River devoted to the enterprise. The ruins of Otori Castle, built by the Sato family, (lords of Iizaka) in the 12th century and Ioji Temple are also located in Iizaka. Ioji Temple contains a "kuyo-to", a verticlal slab stone monument, which has been declared an Important Prefectural Cultural Asset
. The castle grounds are now a park. Ioji Temple was originally founded by Kōbō-Daishi
, the founder of the Buddhist Shingon
sect, in 827. A Yakushi Nyorai
(the holy image of Siddhārtha
, the founder of Buddhism) made by Kōbō-Daishi
has been enshrined inside it.
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Date District
Date District, Fukushima
is a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2008, the district has an estimated population of 39,633 and a density of 190 persons per km². The total area is 208.53 km².-Towns and villages:*Kawamata*Kōri*Kunimi-Mergers:...
, Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The town is situated in the north part of Fukushima City
Fukushima, Fukushima
is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. As of May 2011 the city has an estimated population of 290,064 and an area of 746.43 km².It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo and 80 km south of Sendai.-History:...
.
As of April 1, 2006, the town has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 23,314. Iizaka is best known for its many onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
, most notably Sabakoyu Onsen
Sabakoyu Onsen
The Sabakoyu Onsen in Iizaka, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan is the oldest community onsen in the country. Sabakoyu Onsen was originally spelled 佐波来湯 when, according to legend, Yamato Takeru, prince of the Yamato dynasty and son of Keikō of Yamato, the 12th Emperor of Japan, visited the area and...
, a public bath located downtown and reminiscent of similar onsen of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Iizaka is one of the most famous onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
towns in the Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
with over 70 hotels and ryokan along the banks of the Surikami River devoted to the enterprise. The ruins of Otori Castle, built by the Sato family, (lords of Iizaka) in the 12th century and Ioji Temple are also located in Iizaka. Ioji Temple contains a "kuyo-to", a verticlal slab stone monument, which has been declared an Important Prefectural Cultural Asset
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
. The castle grounds are now a park. Ioji Temple was originally founded by Kōbō-Daishi
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
, the founder of the Buddhist Shingon
Shingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
sect, in 827. A Yakushi Nyorai
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru , formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja , is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.-Origin:...
(the holy image of Siddhārtha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, the founder of Buddhism) made by Kōbō-Daishi
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
has been enshrined inside it.