Koyasan and the Sacred Forest

Sunday 27, 2023 - from the itinerary: Make the most of the morning and enjoy the magical atmosphere of Koyasan: You will also find the mausoleum of the monk Kukaihere, who was the founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. The pilgrimage path to the Okunoin Temple with the local Mausoleum Kukai is especially popular. The area is considered one of the holiest places in Japan and leads beautifully through the forest, past some centuries-old tombs of famous people and families of Japanese history.

As part of my Shukubu experience, I had the opportunity to join the monks in morning prayers. This started when I joined the monks for morning prayers at 6am. It was a nice atmosphere and was invited to come up to say a prayer, set up rather like communion, but didn’t partake. The chanting went on for about an hour with incense and occasional cymbals and surprisingly didn’t get fidgety and used it as an opportunity to practice my meditation. The main priest said some explanation afterwards, but it was all in Japanese, so gaijin were allowed to leave. Photos not allowed.

Today’s plan was to see the rest of the tombs and temples and to see if I can experience some pilgrimage walks before losing steam. I thought I was so smart yesterday with my planning, but it turns out I have to cover some of the same ground again today. Oh well....

Breakfast was amazing

Walked to Kongobu-hi Head Temple - turns out I had been there yesterday, but didn’t know about the big zen garden, so actually paid the entrance fee and went in today. As the most important temple of the Shingon Buddhist sect, Kongobu-ji ranks as one of the most important Buddhist temples in all of Japan. Its construction was commissioned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi – the second ‘Great Unifier of Japan’ – in the in late-16th century commemoration of his mother. The original structure was later reformed and joint with a neighbouring temple to become the principal temple of the Shingon sect and focal point of Koyasan temple complex. While the façade is not as grand of some of Japan’s other great temples, the interior Kongobu-ji is truly beautiful with visitors able to move through the ‘Ohiroma Room’ lined with gilded ‘fusuma’ (sliding doors), the ‘Plum Room’ and ‘Willow Room’ also featuring elaborately painted fusuma and onto the Banryutei Rock Garden – the largest rock garden in Japan which was created in the 1600s. Photos weren't allowed in the rooms referred to above. There was a cross section of the "sacred tree at Okunion". The trunk was 9 meters wide and the tree was between 650-700 years old when it came down.

From there I walked over to the Tokugawa mausoleum. It was a lovely walk, but I couldn't get very close. There were some beautiful, probably cedar, forests along the way.

The next destination was the Okunoin Temple - this involves going back through town, going across a bridge and through a cemetery that is 2km in length. I stopped for a mid-morning snack of Yaki-mochi (or Kusa mochi) ( mochi with red bean paste) and a latte to get some energy. Love these mochi.

Along the road to/through the cemetery is Sandro (approach)lined with cedar trees that are several hundred years old.

Located around 2.5 kilometres to the east of Kongobu-ji, Okunoin (Temple) is another of Koyasan’s most important sites. Entrance to the expansive temple grounds is marked by the Ichinohashi (First Bridge)

which leads to a 2 kilometre forested avenue through Japan’s largest cemetery. More than 200,000 tombstones, stone lanterns and statues line the walk that leads onto the mausoleum of Kukai, posthumously named Kobo Daishi. It is a pretty remarkable area.

There are two other things before arriving at the mausoleum: the Asekaki Jiso (sweating Jizo statue which I couldn’t see through the mesh and the Sugatami no I do (mirror well). supposedly if you don’t see your reflection you will die within the next three years - here’s a picture - can you see me? that said, I went back 2 more times and saw myself.

There was another spot where if you found the rock inside the temple to be heavy you were full of sin, if light you were not sinful. I am not sinful on my right side, but am on my left. And the rock is not a uniform weight, so if you get the smaller side you are less sinful….

Before arriving at the mausoleum, visitors pass by the Gokusho Offering Hall and pass over Gobyohashi Bridge marking the inner and most sacred area of the temple. You can also go downstairs and see lamps and small buddha statues.

I got lost along the way, turning left at a sign that I thought took me a different way to this, but I ended up at a different, modern, cemetery, so had to come all the way back.

No photographs or eating or drinking or anything is allowed after the Gobyohashi Bridge, so no pictures.

Torodo is the ‘Hall of Lamps’ and is a separate building on the grounds. The temple hall houses over 10,000 golden lanterns along with more than 50,000 statues donated to the temple in commemoration of Kobo Daishi. It is said that lanterns have been continually burning here for more than one thousand years as the temple acts as the main hall of worship of Kobo Daishi.

By accident, I did take a picture of the Hall of Lamps outside. I also filled my water bottle from one of the fountains (normally allowed) and took a drink winning me a dirty look from a local.

I started back - not sure this is an approved road

and had an Ice cream with Sancho pepper on it- really good.

There was still time to do some more site seeing and saw these along the way

I had some more mochi a white and a green. The green is made with mugwort.

I stopped for lunch and the heavens opened up

After stopping off at the hotel and letting the rain die down, I decided to try a local pilgrimage trail. There was one near the Grand Gate I visited yesterday. It turned out to be a well known trail called the Koyasan Choishi-Michi Road and it was a good preparation for the Kumano Kodo.

I went a few miles out and back on the trail - past 27 posts which were traditional trail markers. Not much wild life, but there were a few small frogs.

Dinner was amazing again and I wore a yakuta.