Koyasan Kongobu-ji (Temple)
こうやさんこんごうぶじ
A sacred site of Shingon Mikyo (Esoteric Buddhism) founded by Kobo Daishi Kukai. It is a religious city located on a mountain at an altitude of 800 meters.
Overview
Founded in 816 CE (Kōnin 7) by Kukai (Kobo Daishi), who received the land as a gift from Emperor Saga, this religious city sits at an altitude of approximately 800 meters and serves as the fundamental training ground for Shingon Mikyo. It is the head temple of the Koyasan Shingon Sect, featuring a unique structure where the entire area of Mount Koya is considered the temple grounds, known as 'Issan Keidaichi'. It was registered as a World Heritage site in 2004 as part of the 'Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range'. Okunoin, where it is said that Kukai continues to meditate to this day, is a solemn space lined with approximately 200,000 stone towers and is hailed as one of the most sacred sites in Japan.
Enshrined deity / legend
Kobo Daishi Kukai
Highlights
- ・Okunoin (Sacred site of Kukai's eternal meditation with 200,000 stone towers)
- ・Danjō Garan (Kondō and Konpon Daitō)
- ・Mountain religious city of 'Issan Keidaichi'
- ・Shukubo (temple lodging) experience
Details may change. Please check official sources before visiting.