Mount Koya

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Konpon Daito, the central point of Mt. Koya

Mount Koya (高野山 Kōya-san) is a mountain in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka. First settled in 819 by the monk Kukai, Mt. Koya is primarily known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Located in an 800m-high valley amid the 8 peaks of the mountain, the original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and over 100 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims. The mountain is home to the following famous sites:

Okunoin (奥の院), the mausoleum of Kukai, surrounded by an immense graveyard (the largest in Japan)
Konpon Daitō (根本大塔), a pagoda that according to Shingon doctrine represents the central point of a mandala covering not only Mt. Koya but all of Japan
Kongōbu-ji (金剛峰寺), the headquarters of the Shingon sect

The mountain is accessible primarily by the Nankai Electric Railway from Namba Station to Gokurakubashi Station at the base of the mountain. A cable car from Gokurakubashi then whisks visitors to the top in 5 minutes. The entire trip takes about 1.5 hours on an express train, or 2 hours by non-express: A change at Hashimoto train station is required. Many Buddhist monastaries on the mountain also function as hotels for visitors providing traditional accommodation with and evening meal and breakfast.

In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. Koya, along with two other locations on the Kii Peninsula, as World Heritage Sites.

Images

Image:Oku-no-In.jpg|Okunoin Image:Mt_Koya_monks2.jpg|Shingon Buddhist monks, Mt. Koya, 2004 Image:Lantern_hall_Mt_Koya.jpg|Lantern hall near Okunoin Image:Okunoin-Cemetery.jpg|Okunoin Cemetery

External links

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