Three nights in the holy mountain site of Kōya-san 高野山 — Buddhist temples, monasteries, and an important mausoleum with a surrounding centuries-old cemetery in deep Japanese cedar woods of the Wakayama prefecture just south of Ōsaka and Kyōto.
In the year 835 the founder of the esoteric Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism, the most revered monk Kūkai, chose to leave this world while meditating in a cave hidden deep in the mountain forests of the Kii peninsula south of Kyōto. Enjoying support of emperors who just established Kyōto as their residence, he was able to spread his teachings and build numerous temples during his life as well as gather numerous believers at the turn of the 8th and the 9th centuries. Kōya-san area donated to him by emperor Saga in 815 became soon his main residence, hidden high and deep in the mountain forests. After his death Kōya-san enjoyed the status of a holy site with an ever-growing number of temples and monasteries and, accordingly, visiting pilgrims, some of them from families of the highest status in the Japanese society (Fujiwara, Taira, Toyotomi, Tokugawa, etc., not to mention the Imperial House…). Indeed, Kūkai — in the meantime known as Kōbō Daishi, the grand master who spread the dharma teachings — is believed to remain in the state of meditative over-consciousness (samadhi) — with a mausoleum (gobyō) built over the cave he occupies. In a truly esoteric way, he is still attended by Buddhist priests daily, bringing him food and drinks.
The Shingon as well as Tendai sects became eventually the main schools of Buddhism in this specific region of Japan, with the time too secularized and politically too influential for the taste of aristocracy as well as a sort of internal rivalry from other Buddhist schools and their lay followers, known as the ikkō-ikki leagues. Noticeably, also too powerful in the strictly military sense: the samurai would not have tolerated the competition of the famous sōhei warrior monks. Consequently, in the period of fights for the establishment of the shogunate in the late 16th century their fate changed very adversely, with two important monastery sites in the neighborhood completely destroyed — Negoro-ji and Enryaku-ji on the Hiei-zan mountain. Kōya-san managed to avoid their fate, swearing unconditional loyalty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the last moment. This occurred to be a fortunate decision, winning the powerful support of the highest aristocracy introduced another period of prosperity in the Edo era. Members of the influential family clans made pilgrimages to Kōya-san; even the winning-it-all Tokugawa shogun dynasty found it appropriate to build a mausoleum for their deceased here. Oku-no-in in the valley leading to Kōbō Daishi Gobyō became the most prestigious Buddhist cemetery in the country.
The Meiji era and the following time up to the second world war were the time of crises for Kōya-san. With nationalist Shintoism made the only proper state religion, suppressing Buddhism, with temple fires and land properties confiscated, a gradual decline could be observed. Symptomatic — even parts of the old conifer forests in the Oku-no-in cemetery valley were cut down for money. However, the opportunism concerning the political power — with Shingon Buddhism supposed to be a bit too loyal to the government since then –, as well as allowing women pilgrims to visit the site (an ingenious move!) and building a railway from Osaka Namba to Gokurakubashi with a connecting cable car from there up the mountain helped a lot in surviving harsh times. Some positive development was also due to the discreet support of the emperor’s court (there are imperial mausoleums in Oku-no-in) and numerous trusty believers, especially in the 20th century with the growing awareness of not only spiritual, but also historical and architectural weight of the site. Declared a National Treasure already in 1921, Kōya-san became the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004. Presently, it is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism with a private University of Buddhist Studies, a renowned Reihōkan Buddhist art museum, and, of course, the site of well over 100 temples and monasteries with a number of monks fluctuating around 600. And with an ever-growing number of pilgrims and tourists alike enjoying the possibility of pilgrim-like lodging in the temples. Additionaly, the Oku-no-in cemetery in the valley leading to the Kōbō Daishi Gobyō mausoleum remains a well-established prime site for final rest of renowned personalities and influential families.
For a comprehensive history of Kōya-san, consult the site koyaquest.com.
Kōya-san :: Oku-no-in :: a lonely Jizō
What have we done in Kōya-san?
- After arriving by a direct bus from Kyōto we stayed for a night in Shojoshin-in temple in the shukubō (pilgrim quarters) with the obligatory program of an onsen bath, vegan diner and breakfast according to the strict monk diet (shojin ryori), and witnessing morning gongyō ceremony (part of the Buddhist monks daily duties, o-tsutome) as well as a fire ceremony (goma-kito) later in the afternoon.
- Visited the Danjō-garan area with a huge main Kondo hall, numerous smaller halls and buildings of various purposes (halls, pagodas vel stupas, bell towers, a revolving(!) sutra library, “guest” shinto temples, etc…); especially to be mentioned the central Konpon Daitō great pagoda claimed to be the center of mandala encompassing Japan and the meditation Mie-dō hall reserved for Kōbō Daishi exclusively, which can be visited only once a year. Most buildings were erected starting from 816 according to the plan of Kōbō Daishi of creating a monastic complex deep in the mountain forests and far from the distractions of the worldly life. However, with numerous renovations and reconstructions over the ages, most of the present structures stem from the 19th and 20th centuries. Most notably, the great pagoda Konpon Daitō is now built using steel-enforced concrete in order to avoid notorious fires due to lightning strikes.
- Next, the busy Kongōbu-ji, the truly head temple of the complex, and presently — together with the Tō-ji in Kyōto — the headquarters Shingon Buddhism temple (10 million believers claimed), with an impressive, quite recently built Banryutei stone garden. Noticeably, the temple was erected 1593 by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi as Seigan-ji in the memory of his deceased mother O-Mandokoro who made pilgrimages to Kōya-san. The present temple is a merger of Seigan-ji and neighboring Kōzan-ji enforced by authorities in 1869. The stone garden is one of he largest in Japan and represents in its design a pair of dragons emerging from the sea of clouds in order to protect the okuden, the inner hidden teachings of the esoteric Buddhism. Granite from the island of Shikoku and the white sand from Kyōto. Numerous stylish rooms feature impressive sliding doors painted by Sengoku and Edo era masters. [For people interested in the Japanese history: in 1595, in Yanagi-no-ma, Willow Room (named after sliding door paintings), Toyotomi Hidetsugu committed seppuku after assisting suicides of his beloved three wakashū — an unimaginable act in a Buddhist temple, where it is forbidden to take life. The ritual suicides were thought to be ordered by his all-too-powerful nephew Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself due to alleged or even fabricated suspicions of Hidetsugu’s treachery, but some historians disagree… Anyway, Hideyoshi went on in his cruel rage afterwards, erasing Hidetsugu’s almost whole family a few days later in the so-called Sanjogawara incident, a mass execution of everyone connected to Hidetsugi’s household — and even destroying Hidetsugu’s palace thoroughly. For the background and details, see the excellent article The Seppuku of Toyotomi Hidetsugu, the whole matter considered to be the pinnacle of samurai time nonsense cruelty.]
- Oku-no-in, a huge and ancient cemetery with numerous moss-covered tombs below tall conifer trees of more or less renowned personalities from the Japanese history, situated in a valley leading to the to the Kōbō Daishi Gobyō (mausoleum). About ten thousand lanterns provided by the pilgrims are permanently (hundreds of years!) lit in the mausoleum Tōrō-dō hall as well as in a building next to it built solely for this purpose. No food, no drinks, no pets, and no photography! Oku-no-in is said to be the largest cemetery of Japan, well over 200,000 graves, also with a modern section — presently, there is a trend of corporate tombs bought by large companies for their employees. The most memorable are numerous Jizō statues with woolen hats and sometime pullovers (it is cold here in the mountains!) and red baby bibs. Anyway, a very atmospheric and extraordinary place, we have visited it two times, in the evening and the next morning. See the list of monuments.
- Posh but elegant Tokugawa-ke Reidai, Tokugawa Family Mausoleum, where the spirits of two first shoguns of this dynasty, namely Ieyasu (1st) and Hidetada (2nd) are enshrined, the building erected by shogun Iemitsu (3rd). So far as we understand, these buildings do not contain any human remains and are purely symbolic.
- Walked a part of the women pilgrimage trail Nyonin-michi in the hills surrounding the monastic site — women could not have entered the site until 1872, so that in the past they had made a pilgrimage around the valley — with only one well-preserved Nyonin-dō hall (of seven) on the way where female pilgrims could stay and pray. We went from the pass forming the northwestern town entrance with the massive Otake-Jizō statue and a small Kosugi-myojin shrine just opposite Nyonin-dō all the way over Benten-dake mountain down to Dai-mon, the massive western entrance gate at the main road pass leading to the Kōya-san valley with two huge Kongō warriors statues on both sides — with the walk finished with a meal in the nearest and very decent inn, Tsukumo. It is about 3km along the main Kōya-san valley from Dai-Mon gate to the Kōbō Daishi Gobyō mausoleum at the end of Oku-no-in cemetery.
- Finally, Koyasan Reihōkan Museum of Buddhist Art, with an exceptionally well sorted exhibition where one can learn to distinguish various Buddhist deities (at last…) and just opposite of the road Daishi Kyōkai Honbu, an administrative center of Shingon Buddhism, a traditional temple and a modern multi-purpose building with religion-connected activities. As we read in a brochure: There anyone can receive the ten Buddhist lay precepts (jukai, 受戒 ) that help one to lead a good and responsible life. The precepts ceremony takes about thirty minutes, and is given seven times every day to any interested person. So simple to become a Buddhist believer!
- Next two nights after the obligatory shukubō in Shojoshin-in we spent the nights in Kokuu capsule guest house with diners in the friendly Shunsai Kameya inn nearby, then taking bus, cable car and Limited Express train to Ōsaka Namba.
Koyasan :: the town map