World Heritage Site – Mt. Koya (Part 2) – Walking Around “Okunoin,” Mausoleum for Kobo Daishi

I got off the bus at the “Okunoin Entrance” bus stop and crossed “Ichi-no-Hashi,” a bridge marking the entrance to Okunoin, which was right off the stop. Next, I walked about 1.6 kilometers to Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum, where he’s said to still be meditating to this day. To get there, you take a direct path lined with tall trees, and “another dimension” spreads out before you.

This is the grave of famous military commander Date Masamune.

There are also many other famous commanders buried here. There are over 200,000 graves and memorial towers along both sides of the road leading up to Okunoin. This path seems to have been created some time from the late Heian period to the Kamakura period.

This is the grave of Ishida Mitsunari, who led the Western army in the “decisive” Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

This is the grave of the same Akechi Mitsuhide who was responsible for the “Honno-ji Incident,” a rebellion at Honno-ji in 1582 that resulted in the suicide of Oda Nobunaga, who was staying at the temple.

Here’s a shot of “Naka-no-Hashi,” the mid-point for the trek to the mausoleum.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s gravesite is fairly large compared to the other graves.

Oda Nobunaga’s grave is located slightly off of the main path. It’s rather compact compared to Hideyoshi’s gravesite.

I made it to “Gobyo-bashi.” From this point onward, photography is prohibited. This area is where Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum is located. I took my time and had a proper visit to pay my respects.

The autumn leaves were at their absolute peak during this trip, so there were a lot of tourists around, but “Okunoin,” surrounded by enormous trees, still possessed an overwhelmingly unique atmosphere. The grave markers in the area are also not just for daimyo; there are ones for companies as well. For example, there’s a “Panasonic grave marker,” an animal memorial tower, a “termite grave” from the Japan Termite Control Association, and even rocket-shaped grave markers. There are so many different ones that I can’t begin to list them all. You can even stay overnight at local temples and shrines, so I’d love to visit Mt. Koya again. This was my first trip here, but I already have places I want to visit all over again!