History / Culture / Tour Spots in Mt. Koya / Ryujin Onsen / Kudoyama Area
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Wakayama
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Wakayama
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- Shiyuen
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3.54 Reviews - Leisure / Hobbies
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkudoyamachou Jisonin 749-6
- A museum which introduces the traditions and techniques of Koyagami, a type of handmade Japanese washi paper whose method of production is said to have been taught to the residents of Kudoyama Town by the great monk Kukai. The museum is located northwest of the roadside station Kaki no Sato Kudoyama next to the Shori-ji Temple. Museum exhibits include a diorama which shows what Koyagami paper production in the area once looked like at its peak, as well as various items made from Koyagami such as Japanese kites, shoji paper doors, raincoats, and lanterns. With an advance reservation, visitors can also try making some Koyagami themselves, ranging in size from that of a postcard to around an A3 sheet of paper.
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紙の原料のコウゾから紙漉き体験ができます。町営で昔は150件の紙すき職人がいたことを聞きました。伝統技術の伝承は課題を改めて認識しました。
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- Konpon Daito
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 152
- This pagoda was erected to serve as a symbol of a Shingon Esoteric Buddhism Konpon Dojo training center. Located on a stage on the grounds of the Kongobu-ji Temple, work on the pagoda began when the great monk Kukai first founded the temple on Mt. Koya and was completed around 887. The pagoda was rebuilt in 1937 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the passing of Kukai. 50 meters tall, the two-story pagoda consists of four sides and 16 bays. Of particular note is the interior structure of the pagoda itself, which is designed as a three-dimensional mandala. The mandala consists of a statue of Dainichi-Nyorai, the principal object of worship, surrounded by the four Buddhas of the Diamond Realm. The 16 internal pillars are decorated with images of 16 Bodhisattvas, while the four walls and corners are decorated with images of the Eight Patriarchs.
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- Jison-in Temple
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkudoyamachou Jisonin 832
- Mirukudo Hall of Jison-in Temple was registered as a part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range in 2004, and it was made a Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property in 1965. In addition, the main statue of Mirokubosatsu is a representative work of the Heian period and was designated a National Treasure in 1963. There are also about 100 Jizo statues, and earthen wall that was designated a Prefectural Cultural Property, and more. It’s about a 20-minute walk from Kudoyama Station.
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- Okunoin Sando
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Koyacho Koyasan 550
- This two kilometer-long temple approach leads from Okunoin Temple's Ichi no Hashi bridge to the mausoleum the famous monk Kukai. The path is lined with many cedar trees that are more than seven hundred years old as well as upwards of 200,000 gravestone and memorial towers. Many of them bear famous names such as those of samurai warlords like Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, and Ooka Echizen, as well as that of the Kishu Tokugawa clan. The tourism association publishes a guide map with the locations of memorial towers that visitors heading to Okunoin Temple can use to find a particular individual. The approach is also lined with stone lanterns that are lit at dusk, creating a mystical atmosphere.
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- Torodo (Lantern Hall)
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 550
- "One of the Two Great Holy Sites of Mt. Koyasan, it was originally built as a hall of worship as a chapel of the mausoleum, and is located in front of the Gobyo (mausoleum) at ""Okuno-in"" where Kukai (Kobo Daishi) died while meditating. Inside, over 20,000 toro lanterns offered by worshipers hang bundled closely together. At the front on the inside, the Kishin lanterns devoted by Kishin shonin and the Shirakawa lanterns devoted by the Emperor Shirakawa have remained burning for over 1000 years as an ""unquenched flame."" In particular, the prayer lamp said to have been devoted by a girl called Oteru who sold her own hair for the Bodhi of her parents is also called ""the lantern of a poor girl."""
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- Negoro-ji Temple Daito Great Tower
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Iwadeshi Negoro 2286 head temple Negoro-ji in
- Located on the grounds of the Negoro-ji Temple, a Shingi Shingon Buddhist temple established by Mt. Koya priest Kakuban, this 36-meter-tall tower is one of the largest such two tier wooden pagoda towers in Japan. Designed to represent the doctrines of Shingon Buddhism, the tower was completed in 1547. Thanks to Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the tower escaped the fires of the Conquest of Kii Province, but the building still bears the marks of bullets fired from matchlock rifles. A designated National Treasure—visitors can also view the inside of the tower.
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- Tokugawa-ke Reidai
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 682
- Toshogu Shrine which enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate, and his son Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun. It used to be on the premises of Daitokuin, but in the Meiji period, Daitokuin merged with another temple and only this reidai was left behind. Facing the mausoleum, Ieyasu is on right side building while Hidetada is on the left. The structure was designed in hitoe hogyo-zukuri style and is 6.5 meters in both length and width, respectively, while the interior is lavishly decorated in lacquer and gold leaf.
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- Nyonindo
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 709
- This is a “sanrojo” (prayer space) near Fudozakaguchi, one of the seven gates of Mt. Koya. It used to house women who would visit the mountain to pray before 1872, when women weren’t allowed on the mountain. There used to be similar facilities at all the gates, but this is currently the only one that remains.
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- Zenmyoshoin Temple (Sanada-an)
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkudoyamachou Kudoyama 1413
- This temple was built on the ruins of a residence where two major generals of the Sengoku period, Sanada Masayuki and Sanada Yukimura, were said to have hidden. It was erected in the mid-Edo period in 1741 by Saint Taian. The main statue is of Koyasu Enmei Jizo Bosatsu, and the temple grounds contain a building with Sanada artifacts as well as Masayuki’s tomb. Peonies bloom everywhere in the spring, and the temple gets crowded as the endpoint for the warrior procession that takes place during the “Sanada matsuri.”
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- Toyotomi Family GraveMarkers
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama prefecture Ito-gun Koya-machi Okuninin entrance
- This tombstones are along the walkway approaching Okunoin Temple, the most sacred spot at Koyasan in present day Wakayama Prefecture. Koyasan was founded by Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai) in 816. The graves of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, his mother, his half-brother Hidenaga, and his wife are all there. Succeeding Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi prepared to attack Koyasan, but called it off at the urging of the high priest Mokujiki Ogo of Koyasan. After that, Hideyoshi became a devotee of the priest and worked for Koyasan's revival. Surrounded by large cedar trees and well maintained, the tombstones have been designated a Prefectural Historic Site.
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- Rokuji no Kane
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan
- This bell tower is located just west of Kongobuji Temple. It's thought that Fukushima Masanori, a warrior of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573–1603), had it built for his parents in 1618 as a prayer for their enlightenment. The current bell tower was remade in 1640 by his son, Masatoshi. It's famous for its unusual engraving that blends Chinese and Japanese characters. Even after all this time, the bell is still rung nine times a day, every two hours from 6:00 in the morning until 22:00. There's also a clamp in the stone foundation below the bell said to have been placed there by Ishikawa Goemon. It's said if you touch it, your relations will prosper.
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- Itijyoin
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Pref. Itogunkouyachou Kouyasan 606
- A Koyasan Shingon Buddhist temple sprawling at the foot of Mt. Koya. To get here, take the Nankai Rinkan Bus from Koyasan Station on the Nankai Cable Line and get off at the “Senjuinbashi” bus stop; the temple is immediately adjacent. The temple’s principal object of worship is the only statue depicting Maitreya of the temples in the vicinity of the mountain. According to records, the temple was founded by the priest Zenka during the distant Konin era. The main temple building was rebuilt in 1933 and its detailed carvings and resplendent balustrade serve as a symbol of the temple. The temple also offers lodging for pilgrims and visitors and guests can enjoy hot spring bathing and traditional Japanese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Visitors can also engage in traditional ascetic training practices and try sutra copying and breathe meditation, as well as deepen their knowledge of Buddhism by viewing materials on sacred Mt. Koya and Buddhist imagery in the temple.
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- Fudozaka Guchi Nyonindo Hall
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Koyacho Koyasan 709
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- Saigyodo Hall and Grave of Saigyo's Wife and Daughter
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Katsuragicho Shimoamano
- Saigyodo Halls are temporary residences used by the late-Heian period Buddhist monk Saigyo to shelter himself from the weather. There are several located across Japan. The Saigyodo Hall located on the side of Prefectural Route 109 in Amano, Wakayama Prefecture is traditionally believed to have been the place where Saigyo lived with his wife and daughter. The current building is a reproduction built in 1986. It is said that Saigyo established a hermitage here sometime around 1142 with his family, who lived the rest of their lives here. Their grave is located next to the hall. It is said that monks and worshipers visiting Mt. Koya have long visited the grave to honor the memory of Saigyo's wife and daughter.
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- Yokobue no Koizuka
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Katsuragicho Shimoamano
- This mound in Amano no Sato, Wakayama was built to honor the memory of Yokobue. Yokobue was a woman who served Kenreimonin (the daughter of Taira no Kiyomori) and appeared in Chapter 10 of the Tale of the Heike. Saito Tokiyori, a retainer of Taira no Shigemori, won her heart with his transverse flute playing, but the star-crossed couple would be torn apart because of the difference in their station. Tokiyori later became a monk and changed his name to Takiguchi Nyudo. Yokobue herself later become a nun and established a hermitage in the area where she lived until dying at the age of 19. A stone monument next to the mound is engraved with a poem she composed. There is a legend in Koyasan that the deceased Yokobue was finally able to be reunited with Takiguchi Nyudo after being reborn as a bush warbler.
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- Hinnyo no Itto, Grave of Oteru
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Katsuragicho Kamiamano
- The Torodo (Lantern Hall) at Koyasan Okunoin Temple has a lantern that has remained lit for nearly a millennium. It is said that a young girl named Oteru sold her hair to donate the lantern as a memorial to her adoptive parents. A small grave and stone memorial dedicated to Oteru still exists in a corner of Amano no Sato, Katsuragi Town. The temple's memorial tower was built by Nyoshunni in 1682. It is said that a monk from Amano named Joi subjected himself to the austerity of vicarious suffering for ten years in 1688 in order to save women from suffering. A stone memorial was built later.
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- Daimon Gate
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Koyacho Koyasan
- "This 25.1 meter-tall vermillion gate towering over the entrance to Koyasan serves as the temple settlement's main gate. When the temple was settled, a torii (shrine gate) was built in Tsuzuraoridani below the location of this gate originally served as the main gate. This gate burned down several times due to a forest fire and a lightning strike The current building was constructed in 1705. The highlight of the gate is the pair of Kongo Rikishi statues that flank both sides of the gate. Depicted with intense scowls and muscular physiques, these imposing figures are said to be the largest of their kind after those of Todaiji Temple's Nandaimon. The Chinese couplet hung on the front of the gate means ""Kobo Daishi appears each morning, makes the rounds, and offers us salvation."" This expresses the idea that Kobo Daishi is always with us, a tenet of the faith practiced in Koyasan."
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- Fudodo
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Koyacho Koyasan 152
- This sugaruhafu-style building is located east of the Danjo Garan beyond the Chumon gate in Koyasan. The building, which looks much like the residence of a Heian period noble, is an oddity among all the temples that stand in Koyasan. Many mysteries surround it including the exact reason for its construction and why there are no signs of a fire altar despite being a hall dedicated to Acala. Constructed during the Kamakura period in 1198, the hall was designated as a National Treasure in 1899. In 1908 it was repaired and relocated to its current location. Although Koyasan has suffered many conflagrations, fires never reached the area where the hall was originally located. For this reason, it is one of the few buildings from the period that retain its original form.
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- Gobyo
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Ito-gun Koyacho Koyasan 550
- "This mausoleum located in the past Mt. Koya's Okunoin Temple is the final resting place of Kobo Daish Kukai. Considered the most sacred place even in World Heritage Koyasan, it is visited by people from around the world. The building's hogyozukuri-style roof covers a narrow isle that surrounds its rectangular core. The mausoleum, which is surrounded by three thousand year-old cedar trees on the three mountains known as Mt. Tenjiku, Mt. Yoryu, and Mt. Mani, has a solemn and dignified appearance. Kobo Daishi is considered by the faithful to still be meditating in his mausoleum. Every morning and noon monks perform a ritual called ""shojinku"" in which an offering of food is made to Kobo Daishi. It is said that he responds to prayers made at his mausoleum and that he guides visitors to and from the Ichi-no-hashi bridge. This idea is rooted in the concept of Dogyo Ninin (""Kobo Daishi is always with me"") that is taught in Koyasan."
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- Kishibe no Sato Park Hotaru no Yakata
- Travel / Tourism
- Wakayama Kinokawa Kishigawacho Inokuchi
- This educational facility is located inside Kishibe no Sato Park, a nature park on the banks of the Kishi River that is about a ten-minute walk from Kishi Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line. Visitors can learn about fireflies, something for which Kishigawa Town is famous even within Wakayama Prefecture. Captive-bred firefly larvae are released in the town as part of firefly breeding and conservation effort. It is possible to witness the beauty of genji-botaru (Luciola cruciata) and heike-botaru (Luciola lateralis) in their bamboo grove breeding grounds around June each year.
Wakayama Areas
Wakayama prefecture unites pilgrims, food lovers, and culture buffs in a tranquil corner of Japan at the base of the Kii Peninsula. The setting for many a Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, Wakayama invites those in search of spirituality from one side of the prefecture to the other, from the 100-plus Buddhist temples of the sacred Mount Koya in the west to the inspiring temples of the Kumano Sanzan set among breathtaking nature in the east. Once the grueling hike is complete, make a beeline for Wakayama city to savor some of the country’s most delicious ramen noodles.
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