life, upside down: Trip to the Kii Peninsula II

Arriving at the Daimon Gate, the western entrance to Koyasan.

Mount Koya ("Koyasan" in Japanese) is the heart of esoteric Shingon Buddhism in Japan, a 1200 year old mountain temple town where the monk Kukai decided to start his monastery in 819 (and where he is believed to be in eternal meditation to this day.) Today Koyasan is known for having over 100 Buddhist temples in a town about the size of Uralla–about 3,000 people.

Standing at the Daimon

Cherry blossoms and a vermillion Shinto torii gate

Guardian Nio Buddhist statue at the Daimon Gate

We finished our walk along the Choishi stupa pilgrimage route and arrived at the Daimon Gate around 3:30pm. After passing through the formal entrance and entering the town of Koyasan we started on our way toward our accommodation for the night, a small hostel on the opposite side of town. We also had our first sofuto kuriimu (soft cream = soft serve ice cream) when we arrived to Koyasan: plain milk and soy milk.

The only thing about walking across town was walking by the iconic Koyasan landmarks and trying not to dillydally and take too many photos... Passing by the most famous Danjo Garan Temple complex we stopped to take a look and as we continued east (much of the town is aligned on an east-west axis) when we came to the entrance to the Okunoin cemetery we headed off the main road to take the scenic route through the forest. It is about 3.5 kilometres from one end of the town to the other, but with stops along the way it took us almost two hours.

Visiting monks at the Danjo Garan temple complex.

An entrance to a temple on the street.

A quiet afternoon walking through Koyasan.

Ojizo-sama statue along the street

Okunoin is one of the most famous* landmarks of Koyasan, the mausoleum where Kukai (Kobo Daishi) is entombed and the cemetery and forest which surrounds it. The cemetery is immense, about a kilometre to walk along the path from the east entrance to the mausoleum and with over 200,000 graves is the largest in Japan. Situated within a forest of enormous cedar trees, the cemetery is quiet and peaceful. The gravestones and statues covered in lichen and the verdant ferns and moss on the ground gave a feeling of rebirth and renewal.

(*Probably only second to the Danjo Garan temple complex and Kongobuji, which is the main temple at Danjo Garan. At least that's the impression I've come away with.)

Okunoin cemetery

Wooden stupas

Shinto torii gate at a Buddhist grave

Lanterns along the pathway began to turn on for the evening as we walked through the Okunoin forest and cemetery. It's hard to describe Okunoin without falling into cliches. I think I saw it described in guide books and tour guides as "mystical"/"magical" and "spiritual". It was fascinating to walk through the enormous forest which is also a cemetery – and an ancient cemetery which is also a forest. If you leave the main path there are older graves which are being reclaimed by the forest, and yet overall the cemetery does not feel neglected. Rather it seemed to me a feeling of coexistence. Old stones are set aside and replaced with new, the broken stone stupas becoming completely covered with moss and lichen and the wooden markers gradually decaying and returning to the forest floor. It's a very different feeling from any other cemetery I've visited.

We were in Koyasan over the course of three days and walked through Okunoin many times during different times of day: dawn, dusk, midday, night. Every time was something different to see and it was never any less amazing than the first late afternoon we walked in.

Lanterns lining the path through Okunoin

The main paved walkway through Okunoin, lined with lanterns

Massive cedar trees

Okunoin at night. The main pathway is entirely illuminated
(by lanterns and several spaced overhead lamps) and there are
monk-guided night tours.

Kannon, goddess of mercy at dawn

Ojizo-sama

The day after we arrived in Koyasan was filled with temple visits. While there are over 100 temples in Koyasan, not all are open to the public. We walked toward Kongobuji / the Danjo Garan temple area, stopping in several temples (and a Shinto shrine for good measure) along the way.

Elaborate wood carving on the gate at Henjoko-in Temple

Typical Koyasan street scene: a temple just around the bend.

Alleyway between houses and temple grounds

The most famous site in Koyasan is the Danjo Garan temple complex and Kongobuji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism in Koyasan. It's a little hard for me to wrap my head around all of the terminology and it gets a bit confusing right from the beginning. Koyasan ("Mount Koya") is not the name of an actual mountain, but of the point surrounded by the eight peaks (like a lotus flower, which was part of the reason why Kukai settled here) which is now the temple town. "Kongobuji" is the name used for the main temple at the Danjo Garan temple complex, but is also used for the temple complex as a whole and for the entirety of Koyasan. The town of Koyasan is also referred to as the Issan Temple Grounds, and the main temple of Issan (at Danjo Garan/Kongobuji) is also referred to as Kondo ("the Main Hall"). Confused yet? (I sure am.) So I'll just refer to this main temple as Kongobuji and leave the rest out of it.

The main temple at Kongobuji was first constructed in 1593 by the famous feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, however was not given its current name "Temple of the diamond mountain" until 1869.

The main entrance to Kongobuji, rebuilt in 1593 and is
the oldest structure on the grounds.

The famous Konpon Daitou pagoda

Traditional jointed architecture of the Shoro Bell Tower

We took a tour through the main Kongobuji temple which is filled with beautiful painted sliding doors, some of which were painted in the 1500s (no photography allowed of course.) There are rooms depicting the seasons, rooms depicting Kukai's travels, rooms covered in gold leaf for the Emperor to stay in when he visited Koyasan. The temple is a museum but is also a place of functionality: monks still live and practice here and the elaborate rooms are still used for ceremonies.

Within the main temple at Kongobuji is the Banryuutei dry rock garden. At 2,340 square meters it is the largest rock garden in all of Japan. It was built in 1984 for the 1150 year memorial of the death of Kobo Daishi (the name Kukai was given after his death.) The enormous granite stones represent three dragons protecting the inner hall of the temple. Also of note is the granite came from Shikoku -- the place of Kobo Daishi's birth and the white pebbles came from Kyoto, where Kobo Daishi established many other temples during his life.

Walking through the main temple of Kongobuji, a partial view of Banryuutei

Granite dragons of Banryuutei

Walking around the Kongobuji temple grounds

Aizen and Daie Halls on the grounds of Kongobuji. I read that Aizen Hall
was first built in 1334 and the current structure was rebuilt in 1848.

My favorite place on the temple grounds was Saitou, the west pagoda. This pagoda was not painted like the iconic Konpon Daitou pagoda ("the Great Stupa) and was sheltered in a grove of trees. There was wisteria blooming on a trellis nearby and a red Japanese maple next to the pagoda seemed to glow in the dappled sunlight. It was also very quiet compared to the hustle and bustle in the grounds around the main temple and Konpon Daitou: we were the only two tourists walking around (although we did see several people having a rest under the trees. After greeting a groundsman who was working in the area he asked us if we would check on a girl napping on a stump as he was worried about her. It was a bit strange but we saw three separate people laying down in various areas of the temple. It must have been a good time to take a nap.)

Saitou, the west pagoda.

Myo-jinja, a Shinto shrine within the Buddhist complex.

The Myo-jinja shrine was hidden behind trees and azaleas.

Toutou, the east pagoda.

Toutou and Konpon Daitou

Moss garden at Kongobuji

A vermilion bridge over a pond, which used to be filled with lotus
(but unfortunately not anymore; unfortunately I can't recall the reason.)

Another Shinto shrine at Kongobuji

After touring Kongobuji we stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant which featured local seasonal ingredients. I had udon noodles with yama-yasai–mountain vegetables–fiddlehead fern tips and local mushrooms, and Reid's lunch set came with goma doufu–a type of tofu made from sesame that Koyasan is well known for. (All the souvenir shops sold little packs of goma doufu and we stopped into a goma doufu shop.) After lunch we went to the Tokugawa Mausoleum (built in 1643 by the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu to enshrine his grandfather Ieyasu and father Hidetada, the first two Tokugawa shogun), two extravagant structures covered in carving, lacquer and gold leaf. We had afternoon tea in a fancy Buddhist temple and walked to the edge of town to Nyoindo, the only remaining women's temple. Before 1872 women were not allowed into Koyasan and would make a pilgrimage around the town but never actually enter Koyasan. We took the old women's pilgrimage route back to the Daimon gate, a scenic walk to a Shinto shrine on top of a mountain and some amazing views of Koyasan along the way.

Tokugawa Mausoleum

Nyoindo Buddha. (Without a reference it's hard to give a sense of
scale but the stone wall beneath the posts is taller than a person.)

The Konpon Daitou pagoda as viewed from the women's pilgrimage trail

Torii gates along the women's pilgrimage route

One other experience at Koyasan I'll briefly share is our visit to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. Every morning visitors are welcome to come and listen to the monks who chant prayers and give offerings to Kobo Daishi, who is believed to be in eternal meditation.

There are two different main paths through Okunoin cemetery, both which lead (and meet) at the Gokusho Offering Hall. After this hall lies the Gobyonohashi Bridge which separates the innermost sanctum, where the Kobo Daishi Mausoleum is situated. It was really beautiful, peaceful and solemn grounds with blooming azaleas under enormous cedar trees, but unfortunately photos were not permitted past this point. Next to the mausoleum is Torodo Hall, the hall of lamps and is the main hall of worship at Okunoin. Inside were over 10,000 lanterns lit (some which are said to have been lit for hundreds of years.) I didn't take any photos but if you google "koyasan lanterns" you'll get an idea what 10,000 lanterns looks like.)

After listening to an hour of Buddhist sutras and paying our respects to Kobo Daishi we continued walking through the Okunoin cemetery in the early morning light.

Enormous stupa graves

Blowfish grave marker

A pyramid of Ojizo-sama between the trees

Ojizosama

Towering cedars

Ojizosama at the Gokusho Offering Hall

Temple gate at the Gokusho Offering Hall

Countless Ojizosama

Walkway lined with lanterns and enormous trees.

Thus ended our trip to Koyasan. After our dawn visit to Okunoin we started off for the edge of town where the Kumano Kodo Kohechi pilgrimage route begins, a four day walk to the Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine. Our journey was only just beginning...