Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [331]
Although it is just possible to visit Kōya-san as a day trip from Nara, Kyoto or Osaka, it’s much better to reduce the travel stress and stay overnight in one of the town’s excellent shukubō (temple lodgings). Keep in mind that Kōya-san tends to be around 5°C colder than down on the plains, so bring warm clothes if you’re visiting in winter, spring or autumn.
Whenever you go, you’ll find that getting there is half the fun – the train winds through a series of tight valleys with mountains soaring on all sides, and the final vertiginous cable-car leg is not for the faint of heart.
History
The founder of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism, Kūkai (known after his death as Kōbō Daishi), established a religious community here in 816. Kōbō Daishi travelled as a young priest to China and returned after two years to found the school. He is one of Japan’s most famous religious figures and is revered as a bodhisattva, calligrapher, scholar, and inventor of the Japanese kana syllabary.
Followers of Shingon believe that Kōbō Daishi is not dead, but rather that he is meditating in his tomb in Kōya-san’s Oku-no-in Cemetery, awaiting the arrival of Miroku (Maitreya, the future Buddha). Food is ritually offered in front of the tomb daily to sustain him during this meditation. When Miroku returns, it is thought that only Kōbō Daishi will be able to interpret his heavenly message for humanity. Thus, the vast cemetery here is like an amphitheatre crowded with souls gathered in expectation of this heavenly sermon.
Over the centuries the temple complex grew in size and attracted many followers of the Jōdo (Pure Land) school of Buddhism. During the 11th century, it became popular with both nobles and commoners to leave hair or ashes from deceased relatives close to Kōbō Daishi’s tomb.
In the 16th century Oda Nobunaga asserted his destructive power by slaughtering large numbers of monks at Kōya-san. The community subsequently suffered the confiscation of their lands and narrowly escaped invasion by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At one stage Kōya-san numbered about 1500 monasteries and many thousands of monks. The members of the community were divided into gakuryō (clergy), gyōnin (lay priests) and hijiri (followers of Pure Land Buddhism).
In the 17th century the Tokugawa shōgunate smashed the economic power of the lay priests, who managed considerable estates in the region. Their temples were destroyed, their leaders banished and the followers of Pure Land Buddhism were bluntly pressed into the Shingon school. During the Edo period, the government favoured the practice of Shintō and confiscated the lands that supported Kōya-san’s monastic community. Women were barred from entry to Kōya-san until 1872.
Kōya-san is now a thriving centre for Japanese Buddhism, with more than 110 temples remaining and a large population. It is the headquarters of the Shingon school, which numbers 10 million members and presides over nearly 4000 temples all over Japan.
Orientation
The precincts of Kōya-san are divided into two main areas: the Garan (Sacred Precinct) in the west, where you will find interesting temples and pagodas, and the Oku-no-in, with its vast cemetery, in the east. We recommend visiting both sites.
Information
There is a joint ticket (shodōkyōtsu-naihaiken; ¥1500) that covers entry to Kongōbu-ji, the Kondō, Dai-tō, Treasure Museum and Tokugawa Mausoleum. It can be purchased at the following information office.
Kōya-san Tourist Association (56-2616; fax 56-2889; 8.30am-5.30pm Jul & Aug, to 4.30pm Sep-Jun) In the centre of town in front of the Senjūin-bashi bus stop, this tourist information centre stocks maps and brochures and English speakers are usually on hand.
Kōyasan Interpreter