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WHAT TO SEE AT MOUNT KOYA
Okunoin Cemetery
Okunoin Cemetery
Mount Koya is truly full of buildings and places that are worth visiting, but the most important is without a doubt the Kongobu-ji, the main temple of Shingon Buddhism and the first building created by Kobo Daishi, around which the entire complex later developed. Here you can admire paintings and religious objects as well as a beautiful rock garden, one of the largest in Japan. The temple precinct that represents the heart of Koyasan is called Danjo Garan and houses numerous buildings, among which the Konpon Daito stands out, a white and orange pagoda structure that houses a large statue of Buddha and represents the central point of the mandala, a sort of essence or center of the universe. It is also possible to visit the main hall of Mount Koya, called Danjogara, and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (Okunoin), surrounded by a vast cemetery, the largest in Japan and reachable via a path that crosses the wonderful cedar forest.
KONGOBU-JI TEMPLE
A destination for many pilgrims and tourists, the Kongobu-ji temple is immersed in the vegetation of Mount Koya. This temple is the main seat of Shingon Buddhism and contains many precious treasures, such as some works of art from the Kano school and the largest rock garden in all of Japan. The term Koyasan refers to a sacred place for Japanese Buddhism, on which numerous temples now stand.
GARAN TEMPLE
Immersed in the ancient forest of Mount Koya, the Garan Temple was one of the first complexes built by the famous monk Kobo Daishi, one of the most revered religious figures in Japan and father of Shingon Buddhism. It is a large and rich complex of buildings that will surprise you with the silence that invites relaxation and meditation and with its wonderful architectural jewels, including an elegant pagoda. A pilgrimage destination, it is also one of the most visited places on Mount Koya for its charm and its history steeped in legends such as the one linked to its foundation. It is said that Kobo Daishi threw his sankosho, a sort of ritual scepter used in Buddhist ceremonies, from China, where he was studying, towards Japan. Back in Japan, he began searching for the ideal place to build his first temple and the cradle of the new religion, when he found his sankosho, which had landed among the branches of a pine tree on Mount Koya. It was around that pine, still visible on the site, that he founded the Garan Temple, a place that today radiates a unique and solemn atmosphere.
The complex contains numerous buildings, but the two main structures are the Kondo Hall and the Konpon Daito Pagoda. The Kondo, the main pavilion and place of prayer, is a large wooden structure that hosts the most important religious ceremonies.A few steps from the Kondo Hall stands the large two-story pagoda, 45 meters high, a building that captures the eye with its bright red color and its wealth of traditional architectural details.
OKUNOIN CEMETERY AND TEMPLE
The Ichinohashi Bridge is the first bridge you encounter when entering the Okunoin temple and marks the entrance to the sacred area. Crossing it, you almost have the feeling of entering another world, where a solemn atmosphere can be felt and a surreal silence pervades every corner, interrupted only by the wind blowing through the branches of the imposing centuries-old cedars of the forest. Before crossing the bridge, it is considered respectful to bring your hands together and make a small bow of the head in an act of prayer. After crossing the bridge, you find yourself in the temple cemetery, which houses over 200,000 tombstones placed on both sides of the path, almost two kilometers long, leading to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. The reason for the presence of so many graves near the mausoleum is not accidental: over the centuries many people, including monks, war heroes, imperial dynasties, and feudal lords, have been buried here in the hope that being close to Kobo Daishi would guarantee their salvation.The tombs date back to different periods and this means that the tombstones have different styles, some are simpler, while others are more elaborate. Take a moment to look at some to notice the differences and to spot the most curious ones, including a “symbolic” one created by a pesticide company that dedicated a tombstone to the various insects exterminated by its products!
The cemetery forest is crossed by streams of water that run along the paths. The atmosphere of the cemetery is something unique that will remain in your heart.
The Okunoin Temple is a mystical and legendary place, surrounded by the ancient forest of Mount Koya, where the dense vegetation lets only faint rays of sunlight through. In the shade of the trees, stretches of tombstones from various eras make up one of the most popular and largest cemeteries in Japan built next to the Kobo Daishi mausoleum. According to the beliefs of Shingon Buddhism, there are no dead in the Okunoin cemetery, but only spirits waiting for the arrival of Miroku Nyorai, the Buddha of the Future. Considered one of the most sacred places in the country, Okunoin Temple has always been a pilgrimage destination.
The Torodo Hall is the main hall and the place dedicated to prayer and takes its name from the thousands of lanterns it houses inside, all donated by devotees and all kept constantly lit. It is said that some lanterns have been burning for hundreds of years! The hall is located in front of the Mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the place of the monk's eternal meditation, where it is not uncommon to see devotees reciting sutras, leaving offerings, and praying.
Near the Torodo Lantern Hall, there is the Mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, considered the site of eternal meditation. The faithful believe that Kobo Daishi is not dead but is in a state of eternal meditation, which is why you will find food offerings made both by monks and visitors.
It is fitting to conclude this paragraph about Mount Koya with a haiku (traditional Japanese poetic composition):
The temple bell is silent,
but the sound continues
to come out from the flowers.
Matsuo Basho
Rock garden of Kongobu-ji Temple
Rock garden of Kongobu-ji Temple
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