Where to Go in Koyasan

In the early 9th century, a young man by the name of Kukai (his posthumous title: Kobo Daishi) took the lengthy voyage to China and the equally treacherous overland voyage from coastal Fujian to the glorious capital of Chang'an. Several years after he returned to Japan, with cases loaded with Buddhist texts, he was appointed the head of Todai-ji, the main temple of Nara. As Kukai's name and teachings spread, he established a retreat on Koyasan in Wakayama. Visiting the mountain and its temples today, one follows in the footsteps of the countless pilgrims and curious travelers that have made their way to the mountain over the millenia that followed.

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Kongobuji Head Temple

Kongobuji Head Temple is the main temple in Koyasan, and the head temple of the Shingon Buddhist belief that Kukai propagated in Japan. This is one of the most revered sites in Japanese Buddhism and is visited by devotees and pilgrims in the tens of thousands on high holidays. Before entering, take in the temple’s surroundings, including the botanical garden, stunning in all four seasons. The dry Zen garden that runs alongside the temple is one of the finest—and possibly the largest—in the world.

Kongobuji Head Temple

Admission is to the temple is 500 yen and tours are available. Having a guide helps to illuminate the historical background of the many artifacts collected in the temple, including the sliding fusuma panels.

Kongobuji Aji Kan

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Souji-in

143 Koyasan Koya-cho, Ito-gun Wakayama

Travel Guide

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Danjogaran Sacred Complex

Close to Kongobuji, Danjogaran Sacred Complex is another of Koyasan’s major sites. It is dominated by the Great Stupa, painted a color somewhere between vibrant cinnabar and the Hugger Orange that graces late-1960s Camaros. The stupa design originates in India but this one recalls the Tang Dynasty pagodas of Chang’an. Inside the stupa, there are relics of Kobo Daishi, as well as his Chinese teacher.

Danjo Garan Temple

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Daishi Kyokai

Daishi Kyokai serves as the administrative center of Shingon Buddhism—a facile comparison: Shingon Buddhism’s equivalent of Vatican City. In the administration building itself, visitors can practice shakyo: an opaque sheet of paper is placed over Buddhist sutras and the text is traced. The practice is a way of earning merit, and to take the extra step, the finished work can be brought to Okunoin Cemetery to receive a blessing before it is mailed to the pilgrim.

Koyasan Daishikyokai Temple sutra copying and precept instruction

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Koyasan Daishikyokai Temple sutra copying and precept instruction image

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Koyasan Shukobo Zofukuin

346, Koyacho, Koyasan Wakayama

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Tokugawake Reidai

Tokugawake Reidai, or the Mausolea of the Tokugawas, are twin mausoleum temples built by noblemen of the Tokugawa shogunate hoping to accrue merit from their proximity to the mountain’s temples and relics. The stunning traditional architecture of the mausoleums is among the finest among the mountain’s buildings.

Tokugawa-ke Reidai

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Nyonindo and Kosugimyojin Shrine

Nyonindo, literally “women's hall” is the last remaining women’s hall of worship, dating from a time when female pilgrims were forbidden entry to the holiest precincts of the temple mount. Not far from the Nyonindo and the Otake Jizo statue, the Kosugimyojin Shrine venerates a pious woman and her devotion to the teachings of Kobo Daishi.

Nyonindo

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Okunoin Cemetery

Okunoin Cemetery is the resting place of Kobo Daishi. Before crossing Gobyobashi Bridge into the cemetery, visitors are reminded that photographs are not allowed, a reminder that this is one of the most sacred of all the revered sites on Koyasan.

Okunoin Temple