Kaizando, the Founder’s Hall of Motsuji Temple
The Founder’s Hall is dedicated to the Japanese Buddhist monk Ennin (794–864), also known as Jikaku Daishi, the third head priest of the Tendai Sect of Buddhism, who is said to have established Motsuji Temple during the ninth century.
The Founder’s Hall enshrines a pair of Ryokai Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana) statues. The portraits of the three Fujiwara lords who ruled Hiraizumi during the Heian period (794–1185), Kiyohira, Motohira, and Hidehira, are also displayed within the hall.
The Founder’s Hall was constructed in 1923 and modeled after an ancient Japanese storehouse on a raised foundation, which is a traditional architectural style known as azekura-zukuri.