A stone inscribed with a haiku by Matsuo Basho at Motsuji temple, Hiraizumi, Japan, 28 August 2008.

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It says: "The summer grass is all that is left of ancient warrior's dreams". Hiraizumi in Northern Japan flourished as the seat of the Oshu Fujiwara clan for around 100 years from the end of the 12th century. The city was built to be an earthly recreation of the Buddhist Pure Land or Nirvana.

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Size: 5050px × 3381px
Location: Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
Photo credit: © TONY MCNICOL / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 9th, basho, buddhist, century, garden, haiku, hiraizumi, japan, japanese, matsuo, poet, poetry, shrine, stone