Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture.

In the hills overlooking the town,

a treasure unlike any in the world has been preserved through the years.

This is the Konjikido, or Golden Hall of Chusonji Temple.

Built 900 years ago in the 12th century,

it is the oldest building in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan.

This lavishly-decorated space represents the Pure Land paradise where Amida Nyorai,

the Buddha of Infinite Light, resides.

The building and statues are adorned entirely in gold.

Such an Amida Hall is unrivaled by any other.

In order to preserve the Golden Hall for future generations,

it is housed inside a concrete building and kept under rigorous protection.

Furthermore, it is closed off behind glass barriers to reduce the effects of temperature and humidity.

Without special permission, even researchers are not allowed to step inside.

In January 2023, NHK began an unprecedented undertaking in collaboration

with the Tokyo National Museum and with Chusonji Temple,

which protects the Golden Hall.

It was a massive project to capture every part of the hall as digital data,

from the statues to the building itself.

Digital cameras were used to take photos from every angle possible.

On top of that, a 3D scanner was used to capture the shapes in precise detail.

Using the data on the shape and structure together with more than ten thousand photos,

the Golden Hall was recreated in ultra-high-definition 3D CGI.

The Golden Hall can be seen closer than ever before, at angles that were previously impossible.

Completed over the span of a year,

this "digital Golden Hall" is a recreation of the Golden Hall in a digital space.

The colors, textures, and shapes have been reproduced as accurately as possible.

Using this digital recreation,

this program will explore the mysteries behind the construction of the Golden Hall.

Even now, 900 years after it was built,

the hall has numerous mysteries that continue to fascinate researchers.

Another mystery lies in the altars where the statues are enshrined.

In the digital Golden Hall, three gold coffins can be seen.

There are in fact mummified bodies resting in these coffins.

Though bodies of the deceased tend to be associated with impurity,

they were entombed in this sacred hall without being cremated.

Such an example cannot be found in any other Amida hall.

Just what is the Golden Hall of Chusonji Temple?

Through the power of digitalization,

we go beyond the glass barriers to explore the hidden face of this exquisite National Treasure.

So, to get started, we'll do something with this digital Golden Hall

you would absolutely never get to see with the real version.

We can actually go inside the hall.

That's impossible.

Just seeing it like this is unbelievable.

Mr. Ijuin will operate the controller.

I love video games, so I was asked to handle the controller.

But if I can operate it this easily, that means that just about anyone could do it without any trouble.

I'm heading in. Here I go.

Please go ahead.

Even researchers don't usually get to see it this close.

Oh, we're getting closer.

Although it's possible to move quickly,

that wouldn't be fitting in such a sacred place, so I'll go slowly.

You're building up to it.

This is amazing.

Wow! It's so dazzling.

- We can go inside.
- We can.

On top of that, since we're standing in a digital space,

it's not just being magnified, we're actually getting closer and slowly going inside.

If this was an ordinary high-definition photo being magnified, we couldn't look to the side.

But we can do that with no problem.

I'll head straight through the middle.

We can even go in there!

Everything really is covered in gold.

This is unbelievable. It really is.

Amazing! Even the floor is gold.

We've gone inside.

We're finally inside it now.

I feel blessed to see this.

You'd never see the pillars this close.

Even just the pillars are incredible.

What's the ceiling look like above us?

Let's see what's above.

I'll move up.

Oh! So that's what it looks like.

You'd never be able to see this normally.

You can look up!

What a beautiful sight.

It's amazing.

It has a coved ceiling.

The spacious interior of the Golden Hall is divided into three groups.

To the left upon entering is the southwest altar.

In the middle, the central altar.

And to the right, the northwest altar.

The symmetry and depth of the placement of these three altars

is what gives the Golden Hall its own unique beauty.

On each altar sits the main deity of the hall, Amida Nyorai.

Before the Amida Buddha are the bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi.

Statues of the bodhisattva Jizō stand on either side.

Finally, the Heavenly Kings Zōchōten and Jikokuten stand enshrined at the very front.

With 11 statues on each altar, there are some 33 statues in total.

Here's a question for Mr. Ijuin.

For me?

Back in the 12th century, who built the Golden Hall?

I have the controller because I know the least about history of anyone here,

but I did prepare a bit.

It was Kiyohira, of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan.

Right on the mark.

Thank you.

But don't ask me any more questions.

I can operate the controller all you like.

The Oshu-Fujiwara clan was a family that spread its power over the Tohoku region

and Hokkaido in the 12th century.

They were ultimately destroyed in 1189,

but up until then, they ruled the region for about 100 years.

The Golden Hall is one of their legacies.

The Golden Hall was built by the founder of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan, Kiyohira.

It is thought that the second and third clan leaders,

his son Motohira and grandson Hidehira, subsequently made their own additions to the hall,

resulting in its current appearance.

However, there are still many mysteries concerning the hall.

To begin with, the golden appearance of the hall is a mystery in itself.

No other Amida Hall has everything from the building to the statues adorned completely in gold.

It is believed that the hall was covered completely in gold when it was built by Kiyohira.

Why did he choose to use so much gold, and where did he get such a tremendous amount?

It's majestic.

900 years after its construction, the Golden Hall continues to shine brilliantly.

Surrounded by gold. This really is the Pure Land.

Even when compared to other halls built in the same period,

such as the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Temple and the Yakushido Hall of Daigoji Temple in Kyoto,

the difference in appearance is apparent.

No other Buddhist structures can be found that are covered so thoroughly in gold.

For what reason was this unprecedented building constructed?

First, let's begin unraveling the mystery by looking at Kiyohira, the clan founder who built the Golden Hall.

Fujiwara no Kiyohira was born in 1056.

Back then, the capital of Japan was in Kyoto,

and politics were conducted by the Imperial Court centered around the Emperor.

Kiyohira's birthplace was far to the north of Kyoto, in what is now Iwate Prefecture.

At the time, a war was breaking out that would last some 12 years.

The battle was between the families that held power in Tohoku

and the Minamoto clan sent by the Imperial Court to seize control of the area.

In the bitter conflict, countless people were killed,

including not only warriors but women and children.

As a military commander, Kiyohira's father would lose in battle and die a cruel death.

"With a dull blade, he was gradually beheaded."

A blunt sword was purposefully chosen to cut his neck.

Kiyohira was 6 years old at the time.

There would be later examples of this, too.

Like using a bamboo blade.

Or a bamboo saw for execution.

When Kiyohira was in his twenties, another major battle broke out, and he lost his family.

His mansion was lit on fire, and his wife and child were burned to death.

After four years of fierce, blood-soaked battle, Kiyohira took control of Tohoku,

but with countless people killed before his eyes and the loss of family members he loved,

he had lived a turbulent life.

Kiyohira began a great undertaking in his fifties.

On the hills of Hiraizumi,

he built over 40 pagodas and more than 300 lodging houses for Buddhist monks,

creating a religious hub.

A sprawling temple was constructed, rivaling even major temples in the capital.

Its scale was the biggest in Tohoku.

Why did Kiyohira build this religious hub?

In a written prayer of dedication for the construction of Chusonji Temple,

said to be bestowed by Kiyohira upon its completion, there is one particular passage.

"Be they of the Imperial Court or of Oshu, war has taken the lives of countless people."

"Their souls may have all left for the next world, but their crumbling bones still wander this world as they turn to dust."

"May these spirits with no salvation be given guidance to the Pure Land."

Kiyohira built this religious hub so that anyone whose life had been taken could be reborn in paradise.

This was when the brilliantly shining Golden Hall

was constructed as one of Chusonji Temple's major buildings.

What inspired Kiyohira to create this golden splendor?

Why did he decide to use so much gold?

Why does gold mean so much?

I feel the same way.

It makes me wonder why they felt such reverence for gold.

But everyone feels a sense of reverence, even though they don't know why.

Even before we had a gold market or understood the physical nature of gold like we do today,

we worshipped and revered it.

During that time, a turn-of-the-century belief called Mappo was widespread.

It's a belief that, 2,000 years after the Buddha died,

the influence of his teachings would fade,

and the world would be shrouded in darkness.

The age of Mappo would arrive.

The one salvation was said to be Amida Nyorai, so belief in that Buddha grew rapidly.

The Golden Hall is a hall devoted to Amida,

so I think gold was used in order to express a feeling of gratitude to that Buddha.

The Golden Hall is also designed in a particular way that makes use of the sun.

In the time before the hall was housed in concrete,

the setting sun would shine directly on the hall,

causing a change in Amida Nyorai's appearance.

We'll recreate that appearance using the digital Golden Hall.

There's the light.

The sunlight.

That's amazing!

A halo!

Buddha's halo.

The hall faces east, with west behind it.

So it's thought that, when the sun set in the west,

the sunlight would shine into the hall from behind.

They aimed for that from the start?

That's what people think.

At the very least, there's a belief in Buddhism that the Pure Land lies to the west.

The Pure Land where Amida Nyorai resides lies to the west, where the sun sets.

This Western Pure Land teaching can be seen firsthand in the design of the Golden Hall.

Let's take a moment to watch it again.

Truly amazing.

It makes you feel like praying.

So sublime. Amazing...

Because of the hills and how the trees grew, we don't know if they could always see this.

But without anything covering it, you could see it from a distance.

Could people see it shining?

It's possible they could look up and see it from the bottom of the hill.

There might not have been as many trees at the time.

Anyone could worship there.

Regardless of their social status, everyone could go to the Pure Land.

That was the meaning it had.

I imagine that even people working in fields could see the hall from a distance.

They'd be inspired to pray to it.

In an era that seemed shrouded in darkness,

when so many people died cruel deaths in war,

perhaps Kiyohira used gold to express the power of Buddha.

The beauty of the Golden Hall was inspired by his ardent wish.

Where did the tremendous amount of gold used in the Golden Hall come from?

This is Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture.

Gold dust can be found in the sand from the river.

It's washed down here from the hills.

When the Golden Hall was built, Tohoku was the only place gold could be found in Japan.

It is said that the gold dust from here was used to make the hall.

One of the places Tohoku gold was sent was Tōdaiji Temple in Nara.

The temple's famous great Buddha statue was once golden in color.

It was made using gold from Tohoku.

As the ruler of Tohoku, Kiyohira controlled all of the gold in the area.

During that time, it is thought that gold dust was found in dozens of hills and rivers in Tohoku.

Kiyohira had taken over a tremendous source of gold.

When they were building the Golden Hall,

they probably got bags of gold here

and carried them to Hiraizumi in secret.

There was probably a gold road from here to Hiraizumi.

We explore the mysteries of Chusonji Temple's Golden Hall 900 years after its construction.

Next, we'll look at the secrets of the Golden Hall's beauty.

The Golden Hall has captivated our hearts throughout the ages.

How was its beauty created?

In the digital Golden Hall, we can pass beyond the glass barriers,

where normally no one can set foot.

Accompanying us are researchers with a passionate love for the Golden Hall.

Architecture, sculpture, crafts, and history.

They'll each investigate the digital hall from their own perspective.

Of the four of you, Professor Tomishima and Professor Saitō haven't gone beyond the glass barriers before.

That's right.

I thought I'd never get a chance.

Even though it's virtual, I'm really looking forward to seeing the inside.

Meanwhile, Professor Asai and Professor Kashima have investigated inside.

How is the digital version compared to that experience?

For me, the first time I was able to go beyond the glass

and approach the statues was when I was in my mid-thirties, as I recall.

I could hardly contain my excitement at the time.

First, craft specialist Kashima Masaru and sculpture specialist Asai Kazuharu

will explore the beauty of the Golden Hall's decorations.

I see...

We're inside now.

It's really impressive.

You can't see this from behind the glass.

I'm especially interested in the peacocks on the base of the altar the statues are on.

Let's get close to the peacocks.

So they're not phoenixes, but peacocks.

That's right.

The tail feathers are especially eye-catching.

What highlights should we look for?

To explain why they used peacocks in the first place,

there are said to be six types of birds that live in the Pure Land,

and the peacock is one of them.

The way the feathers are expressed on the peacock's breast,

and the details that were put into them.

Also, the wings, and the tail plumes with decorative holes.

They're very characteristic of peacocks.

The feathers have incredibly delicate linework on them.

I see.

The peacock was hammered out into a three-dimensional half-relief on a thin copper plate.

It was hammered from behind?

It was placed on a form and beaten.

We don't know how they even made such thin copper plates to start with.

They must have been very highly skilled.

What kind of artisans made these peacocks?

Since it took incredible skill to make these,

we think they most likely called in artisans that wielded that level of talent from Kyoto.

Hiraizumi had the power to be able to do that when this altar was being made.

The peacock decorations in the Golden Hall may have been made by artisans from Kyoto.

By making replicas of cultural properties,

Nakamura Mitsuo and Kōshin study the techniques that were used at the time.

They'll recreate the peacock decoration while looking at the digital Golden Hall.

You'd never see it this close normally. This is amazing.

- Yeah. Amazing!
- Amazing.

I can't come up with any other words.

First, Mitsuo hammers out the copper.

He forms the contours of the peacock by hammering a copper plate with a chisel.

Hammering requires careful adjustment of pressure.

The copper plate becomes thinner as it is hit, and will tear if it gets too thin.

As he refines the contours, he proceeds with greater caution.

Once the contours are done,

the next step is a process that will bring out the peacock's elegance.

Kōshin makes a pattern of thin lines only a few millimeters long, called "keribori."

The feathers on the peacocks in the Golden Hall are expressed with hundreds of these lines,

layered on top of each other.

He finishes with the peacock's eye.

Using a stereo microscope,

he carries out delicate work with his hands magnified to around 20 times their size.

Comparing it to a picture from the Golden Hall,

he engraves the peacock's expression with millimeter-fine precision.

The corner of the eye turns down a bit, as if the bird is smiling.

The expression is less like a bird, and more like one a buddha would have.

A peacock residing in the Pure Land.

By applying their finesse to even the smallest detail,

the artisans who created the Golden Hall imbued it with Buddha's power of salvation.

If we draw back a bit, we can also see butterflies flying above it.

In the scenery of Yamato-e paintings,

they often depicted things like flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, and bees.

Flying in the air.

Another point of interest is the frame-like engraving that surrounds the peacock.

This is said to be designed in a way that will guide people to the Pure Land.

This shape that resembles a bowl is called a "kozama."

I believe it also looks like the frame of a window.

When you look through the window,

you can see a peacock residing in the Pure Land on the other side.

And you can see flowers blooming in that paradise too.

That's one theory that has been suggested about it.

The butterflies and flowers depicted on the outside of the frame

represent the world we are in on this side:

the present world.

Meanwhile, inside the frame is a peacock living in the Pure Land.

In other words, we are being shown that the Pure Land lies beyond that frame.

So, that isn't simply a background behind the "kozama."

The Pure Land lies beyond it.

Next is architecture specialist Tomishima Yoshiyuki.

He says there is a secret to the hall's beauty in an unexpected place,

one which is hard to see in person.

The roof.

Let's look at the roof.

That's an unusual place to look.

On top of being behind glass barriers, the Golden Hall is lit with subdued lighting.

Since the roof of the hall is especially dim,

it's hard to get an idea of its characteristics.

We shine a virtual light on the roof of the digital Golden Hall to pursue our investigation.

Normally, you wouldn't be able to see anything above the eaves.

It's a rare opportunity.

Please zoom in.

That's not a tile roof, is it?

It looks like clay tile, doesn't it?

But it's actually made of wooden roof tiles,

which is a technique called "kogawarabuki."

Instead of clay tiles, the roof of the Golden Hall is made of wood that looks just like tile.

The reason for this wasn't because they wanted to save on the cost.

It was a technique necessary to bring out the beauty of the Golden Hall's elegantly extended eaves.

Can we look at the whole building from a distance?

Virtual reality's pretty nice.

The eaves extend outward quite a bit,

forming a gently-sloping line.

If you use heavy clay tiles instead,

the roof can't hold up the weight, and will eventually start to droop.

Or become uneven.

The line of the eaves that brings out this elegant structure's beauty would crumble.

So there's a proper reason for why it's made of wood.

We tend to associate wooden roofs with more crudely-made buildings, right?

But they combined the large, extended eaves from the architectural aesthetic of the period

together with structural knowledge.

That combination put the finishing touches on one of the finest roofs in history.

That's what created it.

Next is history specialist Saitō Toshio.

He says one secret to the Golden Hall's beauty lies in the materials that were used.

It's amazing every time.

Truly amazing.

There are a lot of surprising things here,

but I'd say the mother-of-pearl inlay is by far the most impressive.

On this decorated pillar, the inlay gives off an impressive light.

It's stunning.

The white part is mother-of-pearl?

Yes, from green turban shells.

Saitō points out this round pillar, which is adorned with mother-of-pearl decorations.

Although it is made with special shells called green turbans,

these shells could not be found in Japan at the time.

While it's part of Japan now, there's an island south of Japan called Kikaijima,

where the Gusuku archeological sites were found.

We know now that powerful families from Kyushu got green turbans there

and made a base to export them to other places.

Boasting the financial power of gold and other assets,

Kiyohira is thought to have traded with the continent through his own route,

without going through the capital.

They were very international.

They broke out of the borders of Japan.

We tend to think of the Oshu-Fujiwara Clan as a power in Tohoku.

They ruled from Tohoku to Hokkaido.

Some people might think this is saying too much,

but the Fujiwara Clan half thought of themselves as governing that region

with authority that was independent from Japan.

Thus, they felt an international approach was part of their identity.

Looking at this makes me believe that even more.

I see.

Of the mysteries that remain unsolved even 900 years after the Golden Hall's construction,

the last is the mummified bodies that are entombed in the hall.

Each of the altars the statues are enshrined on has a coffin inside.

Within those coffins are the mummified bodies of the first, second, and third leaders of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan.

In an era when dead bodies were associated with impurity, why were the bodies entombed like this?

This is quite a mystery, isn't it?

It's very unusual.

When someone is laid to rest at a temple hall, they're usually either buried underneath it,

or they're cremated and their bones are buried underneath it.

There are no current examples of entombing someone in a temple hall,

and only a couple of examples that could be interpreted that way in documents.

That's how rare it is.

Let's take a look at how they're entombed in the hall using the digital Golden Hall.

Since these are sacred bodies, it'll only show as much as we're allowed to see.

It's slowly fading away.

So that's where they are.

The coffins.

Yes, the coffins are visible now.

Three coffins have become visible in the digital Golden Hall.

Each of the three altars in the hall has a coffin inside.

For what reason were the mummified bodies entombed in the sacred space of this hall?

Were the bodies examined?

Yes.

The bodies were examined in 1950.

That's when it was discovered that they were mummified.

Why were they entombed that way?

It wasn't deliberate mummification,

where they put preservatives in the bodies and took out the organs.

But even if they hadn't intended mummification,

they did this instead of the usual burial or cremation.

That couldn't have happened unless the founder Kiyohira had strongly wished for it.

The Hall was built while he was alive, after all.

The mummified bodies of the first, second, and third leaders are entombed in the hall.

It is thought that the founder Kiyohira decided on this highly-unusual burial method.

Furthermore, the coffins the bodies are in also have their own mystery.

They're covered entirely in gold.

Looking closely, the gold is not only on the outside, but the inside as well.

Even inside.

- It is!
- Even the inside is gold.

This is also unusual.

When the Buddha passed away, one story is that he was placed in a coffin of gold.

It's possible that they were emulating that.

It's like the monk Kūkai on Mount Kōya.

Since Kiyohira chose to be entombed,

maybe he thought, "Even though I am gone, I still live on in all of you."

I get that feeling, too.

You mentioned the Buddha being placed in a gold coffin.

The famous scene of his death is often depicted in a way

where you can't tell whether he's dead or still alive.

Maybe the clan leaders wanted to become beings who guide people like Buddha,

and take them to the Pure Land.

That's the sort of feeling that I imagined them having.

Kind of like a guardian deity for everyone.

Maybe they felt this was the best way to become something like that.

That's what I imagine.

Did Kiyohira choose to be entombed in a gold coffin like Buddha

to protect people and guide them to the Pure Land?

The Golden Hall researchers will also take a look at this mystery of the ages.

What answers will they discover from their perspectives?

Professor Tomishima, it seems you know some important information on Kiyohira's intentions.

That's right.

A picture painted on cloth called a Hikioi Mandala was placed in Kiyohira's coffin.

Here it is.

This painting?

So this was entombed together with Kiyohira in the coffin?

It was found with him.

If you look closely, a human figure is depicted on it, with Sanskrit written on his body.

Using esoteric Buddhist characters.

This is his face.

I see his closed eyes and nose.

- This is just my imagination, but don't you think he might be Kiyohira?
- Ahh.

This figure with closed eyes could potentially be Kiyohira resting in his coffin.

Although the figure's head is shaved, when Kiyohira's body was examined,

no hair was found in the coffin, either.

If the painting is actually of Kiyohira,

a second theory emerges in which he chose the Golden Hall as his resting place

so that he might be reborn in the Pure Land himself.

In a text written about the Hikioi Mandala,

it says to prepare one while you are still alive and carry it with you constantly.

After death, have it laid on you in your coffin.

So they actually laid the cloth on top of the body.

That's what was written about it.

Which means this was a painting that Kiyohira had laid on his body after death

with the prayer that he would be reborn in the Pure Land.

So, it probably depicts the ideal image of him resting peacefully in his coffin.

This is a theory by Kanno Seikan, who has been researching Chusonji Temple for many years.

There was a belief in being reborn in the Pure Land while still alive.

The people of the time prayed they would be reborn in paradise after death,

and there was a belief that if one was reborn, their body wouldn't decay.

If the body didn't decay, that meant they had achieved rebirth.

They were treated as a sacred being whose spirit still remained to protect people.

So Kiyohira had passed away, yet also hadn't?

He was alive?

He was dead, but his spirit remained.

He hadn't just achieved rebirth, but protected people, too.

That's the kind of formidable thinking that probably went into this.

A living person could become a Buddha.

That way of thinking had become a matter of course in noble society by the 12th century.

On top of that, perhaps it was believed that placing Kiyohira's body near Amida Nyorai

would inspire a greater feeling of condolence in people and realize their rebirth in the Pure Land.

To piece all of this information together,

it seems that Kiyohira's wish to be reborn in the Pure Land was tremendously strong.

Indeed.

What do you think inspired that?

It's probably because, before peace came to that region,

there was a very long war, filled with tragic massacres.

He bore the burden of taking lives, which has grave consequences in Buddhism.

So, he feared he was more likely to go to hell rather than be reborn in the Pure Land.

He wanted to achieve his own rebirth in paradise,

and to bring salvation to the people of his land as well.

That tremendous wish is shown through many different forms of prayer.

That's what I feel.

By having his mummified body laid to rest here,

perhaps Kiyohira intended his spirit to remain after his rebirth in the Pure Land,

protecting the people of this land.

In a time when unimaginable slaughter was carried out in Tohoku,

an equally terrible fear of hell may have inspired the need for a special method of burial.

The more we learn about the Golden Hall, the greater the mystery becomes.

How was this experience?

They built the Golden Hall and entombed themselves there with the hope of bringing peace to the world.

Since we can see everything they were trying to say like this, right here and now,

I feel like we ought to pass their message on to the future as well.

More than anything, I'm grateful the hall has lasted this long.

It's been well-protected.

I'm filled with gratitude.

We can see something this impressive in modern day,

and even see it from behind and at all kinds of angles through this technology.

They're sights I've never seen before.

I feel truly blessed to be able to see this today.

Even the Oshu-Fujiwara clan, which had ruled Tohoku and reached the height of prosperity,

eventually met its end.

It was destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo,

who would become the first shogun ruler of Japan.

To this day, the Oshu-Fujiwara clan rests in the Golden Hall.

The aspirations of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan are carried on today in an unexpected fashion.

Lotus flowers bloom in one corner of the Chusonji Temple grounds.

In the 1950 investigation, seeds were found in the altars of the Golden Hall.

The lotuses that grew from them were spread across Japan

to pray for repose and reconstruction for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Even after hundreds of years, our prayers remain the same:

May we all live in happiness, in a world free from strife.