Experience Japan’s Traditions and Buddhist Culture! A Travel Guide to Mount Koya

Mount Koya began when Kukai received the land of “Koyasan” from Emperor Saga in 816 to establish a training hall for Shingon Esoteric Buddhism.
Kukai founded Kongobuji Temple here and spread Shingon Esoteric Buddhist teachings for practitioners until he attained sokushin jobutsu (becoming a Buddha in this very body) in 835.
It is said that “Kongobuji” was named after a sutra called “Kongobu Rokaku Issai Yuga Yugikyo.”
After Kukai’s death, his disciples further developed Kongobuji Temple, and it grew as the head temple of the Shingon sect.
In 2004, its historic significance and beautiful scenery were recognized, and it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.”
Even today, many monks devote themselves to training, and it’s lively with many worshippers from Japan and abroad.

Kongobuji Temple’s roof is distinctive for its hiwadabuki style, made by layering cypress bark in multiple sheets.
On the roof, wooden fire buckets called tensuito are installed for firefighting.
Enter from the general visitors’ entrance and proceed to the grand hall, where you’ll see sliding-door paintings of cranes and pine trees said to have been painted by Saito Tōshitsu.
Further inside, the plum room, and the willow room’s sliding-door paintings said to be by Kano Tanzai are also magnificent.
Walk along the connecting corridor and tour the annex cloisters, and you’ll be greeted by Banryutei, one of Japan’s largest rock gardens.
Also, across the vast precinct known as sanai ichien are many other famous places and historic sites such as Danjo Garan and Okunoin, so wear comfortable shoes, check your worship route in advance, and then visit.

Koyasan Okunoin on Mount Koya is a sacred place where Kobo Daishi entered eternal meditation, and a central site of faith visited by many worshippers.
Among cedar groves said to be up to 800 years old stand over 200,000 gravestones, monuments, and memorial towers.
Along the stone-paved approach from the entrance, Ichinohashi Bridge, to the Mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, you’ll find memorials and stupas for Sengoku warlords such as Oda Nobunaga, Takeda Shingen, and Date Masamune, as well as haiku monuments of Matsuo Basho and Takahama Kyoshi, and distinctive Jizo statues with their own stories like “Sweating Jizo” and “Makeup Jizo,” letting you take your time as you walk the Approx. 2 km route.

When Kobo Daishi opened Mount Koya, the first place he began developing was Danjo Garan.
“Garan” means “a quiet place where monks gather and train,” and together with Okunoin, where Kobo Daishi rests, it is one of Mount Koya’s two great sacred sites and a center of worship.
Standing straight ahead after passing through the Chumon Gate rebuilt in 2015 for the 1,200th anniversary of Mount Koya’s founding is the Kondo Hall, which enshrines the hidden Buddha Yakushi Nyorai and serves as the main hall of Mount Koya as a whole. The proper way to worship is to face with your right shoulder toward the direction of the Kondo’s Buddha statues and proceed clockwise.

Serving as Mount Koya’s main gate and front entrance is Daimon Gate.
Its imposing form stands Approx. 25 meters tall, and the vermilion two-story gate is especially striking.
It has been rebuilt and repaired multiple times, and after the dismantling repair completed in 1986, its color changed from white to vermilion.
Be sure to see the Kongorikishi guardian statues, said to be the second-largest in Japan after those at Todaiji Temple.
The pair—one with an open mouth (Agyo) and one with a closed mouth (Ungyo)—express Kukai’s philosophy, and their realistic details and smooth craftsmanship are beautiful.
Also worth seeing are the openwork carvings on the richly colored kaerumata (decorative struts that support weight) within the gate.
There are many designs, including peacocks, bamboo, and bamboo shoots, so it’s fun to look for them as you explore.
We also recommend the observation deck in front of Daimon Gate, where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets selected for “Japan’s 100 Best Sunsets” and views of the Kitan Strait.

Konpon Daito Pagoda, located on the north side of Danjo Garan, is a symbolic presence of Mount Koya (Shingon Esoteric Buddhism) designed by Kukai.
With a two-story structure featuring a square roof on the first level in a shihezukuri style, Konpon Daito is also known as Japan’s first tahoto pagoda.
Its exterior, standing Approx. 48 meters tall, is impressive, but the highlight is the “three-dimensional mandala” created by Kukai that unfolds inside.
Around the principal object of worship, Dainichi Nyorai, are placed the “Four Buddhas of the Vajradhatu,” expressing the concept of Kongo-kai and Taizo-kai as one (“kontai funi”).
The form you see today was rebuilt in 1937 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of Kukai’s entering eternal meditation.
Don’t miss the 16 pillars painted with the “Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas” by Showa-era painter Domoto Insho.

The Tokugawa Mausoleum (Tokugawa Reibyo) is a mortuary hall built in 1643 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Edo shogunate, to enshrine Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun, and Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun.
Ieyasu’s mortuary hall stands on the right and Hidetada’s on the left, each surrounded by a sukibei fence, with a karamon gate at the front.
Though the two buildings are almost identical, carvings of a “tiger” for Ieyasu and a “rabbit” for Hidetada—based on their zodiac signs—are carved into the kaerumata, so be sure to check them out.
The appeal of the Tokugawa Mausoleum is its lavish design, boasting some of the finest sculptural beauty as a representative example of early modern mausoleum architecture.
The exterior features a single-story hogyo-zukuri style with detailed coloring and carvings, while the interior is decorated with gold leaf and paintings.

This historic shrine is said to have been founded Approx. 1,700 years ago, and is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the components of “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range,” which includes Mount Koya, Kumano, and Yoshino.
It is the ichinomiya (top shrine) of Kii Province, and the head shrine among Approx. 180 Niutsuhime Shrines across Japan.
Although it is a bit away from Mount Koya, it is also closely connected to Mount Koya, so try visiting it along with the other spots.

A shukubo located just a short walk from the Ichinohashi entrance to Okunoin, where Kobo Daishi rests.
It is said that it came to be called “Eko-in” because Dosho Sozu, a disciple of Kobo Daishi, became its head priest and held memorial services for many people. While valuing tradition and history, it also offers modern facilities such as Wi-Fi.
Guests are free to join the morning gongyo services, where sutras are chanted and memorial rites are performed before the Buddha, as well as goma prayers, where offerings are burned and their fragrance is sent to the heavens.

A sub-temple of the head temple Kongobuji, with a tradition of over 1,100 years since its founding in the Heian period.
Located in the center of Mount Koya, it’s extremely convenient, within walking distance of major spots like Kongobuji Temple and Danjo Garan.
With temple-specific character and attentive hospitality that rivals top-class inns, it’s especially popular among Mount Koya’s 52 shukubo.

With 800 years of history within this 1,200-year-old sacred site, Fukujiin is renowned as the only shukubo on Mount Koya with a natural hot spring.
Guests can bathe at any time during their stay in the natural hot spring baths, with separate bathing areas for men and women.
An open-air bath is also available from 3:00pm to 8:00pm. The morning service starting at 6:00am is generally open for voluntary participation.

A historic temple founded in 907 by Saiko Dai-sojo, with Fudo Myo-o (a hidden Buddha) as its principal object of worship, said to be a statue carved by Kobo Daishi Kukai.
In the main hall, in addition to Fudo Myo-o, sacred tablets such as the image of Nichirin Daishi and Funaita Myogo Hachiman Bosatsu are enshrined, and memorial services are held daily.