Takadachi Gikeido is a small Buddhist chapel perched on a bluff above the Kitakami River in Hiraizumi, dedicated to the memory of Minamoto no Yoshitsune — the brilliant but doomed general of the Genpei War. The word gikeido means "hall of righteousness," a posthumous tribute to a man whose loyalty and skill were betrayed by his own brother.
The chapel is modest, but the location is magnificent. From the terrace, the Kitakami River sweeps through a broad valley below, with the forested hills of the prefecture stretching in every direction. This is the view that Matsuo Basho contemplated when he visited in 1689 and composed the haiku that made Hiraizumi famous in Japanese literature. The site is a ten-minute walk from Chusonji and the views from the bluff alone justify the short detour.