Kitakojima, the Northern Island
Kitakojima is the smallest of the three islands in Bonjigaike Pond. A bridge originally connected this island with the central island where the temple’s primary worship hall (Amida Hall) once stood. This northern island was used as an access route to the Amida Hall. This feature can also be seen at Byodoin Temple in Kyoto, which served as the model for Muryokoin.
Muryokoin Temple, including its garden, pond, and islands, was designed to emulate and recreate the Pure Land Buddhist paradise on earth. During the sixteenth century, the temple burned to ruins, and the land was used as farmland until after 2010, when restoration work began. Subsequent efforts have restored the original shape of the pond and its three islands, making Muryokoin one of the only remaining examples of twelfth-century Pure Land Buddhist garden architecture in Japan.