Fujiwara no Kiyohira

He lost his grandfather, Abe no Yoritoki, in battle in 1057, his uncle Sadato in 1062 and all of his mother's brothers were deported to Kyūshū in the same year.

Victorious in the Latter Three Years' War, Kiyohira returned to his home at Fort Toyota (Iwayadō Castle), in present-day Esashi Ward, Ōshū City, Iwate prefecture, to plan his future.

First was its location directly on the Frontier Way, the main highway leading south to the capital and other major cities and north to the lands he controlled.

Secondly it was determined to be the center of their realm, Ōshū, as measured from the Shirakawa Barrier in the south to Sotogahama in present-day Aomori Prefecture in the north.

After setting up house in Hiraizumi, Kiyohira began an ambitious Buddhist temple building program on the top of Mount Kanzan, Chūson-ji.

This complex of temples, pagodas, repositories and gardens was to be his legacy, the embodiment of his vision for himself, his family and his domain for all time.