During the Heian Period, the Fujiwara were the most powerful clan in Japan. In 1105, Hiraizumi was chosen as the seat of the "Northern branch" of the Fujiwara family. The city steadily grew in cultural sophistication and political power, so that it even came to rival Kyoto, the national capital
In 1189 Hiraizumi was razed by Minamoto Yoritomo. The city never recovered its former prominence, but it still features some of the Tohoku Region's most precious historic and cultural properties.
Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu
Translation: If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.
This means: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. / You can't do anything without risking something..
~Japanese Proverb