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| HOME > Information about Koyasan / Koyasan, a Mountaintop Buddhist Town |
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| After passing through deep valleys hidden among steep mountains, visitors transfer from the train to the cable car to arrive at Koyasan. At an elevation of 900m, the town of Koyasan is about 25kms in circumference and is situated on a plateau surrounded by several small peaks. The history of Koyasan began twelve centuries ago with Kobo Daishi Kukai, who established a mountaintop monastery for Buddhist training here apart from secular society. Koyasan, visited in the past by the faithful from all layers of society, commoners to feudal lords, is a great Buddhist sanctuary worthy of the name, "a city in the sky." |
Koyasan Station
Visitors arrive at Koyasan after taking a cable car up one of the steepest slopes in Japan to Koyasan Station. |
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A Sacred Buddhist Site: Okunoin
Kobo Daishi Gobyo (the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi)
Kobo Daishi entered eternal meditation here in order to work for the liberation of all beings at the age of 62, on the 21st day of the third month, a day he decided on himself. Since that time through all future ages, Kobo Daishi is believed to lead us to liberation. This site is one of the two most sacred sites in Koyasan. |
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The original monastic area of Koyasan: Danjo Garan
Alongside Okunoin, the most sacred site in Koyasan is the Danjo Garan monastic complex. This is the site where Kobo Daishi first began construction of his monastery on Koyasan, and was completed over time focused on the Konpon Daito (Great Stupa) and Kondo (Golden Hall). The current buildings have been rebuilt many times due to repeated fires caused by lightning strikes and other reasons. The many temple buildings here displaying the highest levels of architectural skills of past eras, built on wide stretches of pure light-colored earth, reveal the profound thought of Kobo Daishi. |
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Kongobu-ji Temple, the head temple of Koyasan Shingon-shu
Kongobu-ji Temple is the head temple of the Koyasan Shingon-shu sect of Buddhism, and is the residence of the head priest and abbot of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, as well as containing offices for managing the administrative functions of the sect. Covering an area of nearly 0.16km2, Kongobu-ji Temple has a huge hall measuring 54m by 63m, as well as a reception room for the abbot, an inner chamber for ceremonies, a detached pavilion, a shoin room, and many other architectural features, as well as one of the largest rock gardens in Japan, the Banryutei Rock Garden. Most areas are open to the public, and visitors are given tea and sweets to make their visit even more enjoyable. |
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A Mountaintop Treasury: Koyasan Reihokan Museum
Koyasan holds many treasures, and is home to 23 collections of National Treasures and 174 collections of Important Cultural Properties. Through repeated fires in the course of history many of the treasures held by Koyasan temples have been lost, including Buddhist paintings, statues and other cultural properties. To house and preserve the many remaining treasures and to display them to the public, the Reihokan Musuem was built in 1921. Originally designed in the shape of the Byodo-in Temple in Uji, its elegant shape harmonizes with the garden in the front of the entrance, and is an important building that can well be called, “a mountaintop treasury." |
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