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| Welcome to this post on Koyasan. We travelled to Koyasan from Osaka. After a scenic train journey up Mt. Koya, this cable car takes you up to the town |
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| Situated on a small plain at the top of Mount Koya is the sacred area known as the Danjo Garan, a complex of temples, halls, pagodas and Buddhist statuary |
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| Surrounded by a thick forest of massive cedars, the area known as Okuno-in, or the Inner Sanctuary, is the setting for a vast cemetery that features the mausolea of numerous famous Japanese, including that of the samurai ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi |
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| Koyasan is home to an active monastic center founded twelve centuries ago by the priest Kukai (posthumously known as Kobo Daishi) for the study and practice of Esoteric Buddhism. It is the headquarters of the Koyasan sect of Shingon Buddhism, a faith with a wide following throughout Japan |
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| It is cold on the mountain |
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| Jizo, the bodhisattva is the protector of children, expectant mothers, firemen, and travelers. Most of all, he is the protector of deceased children, including miscarried, aborted or stillborn infants. The little statues are statues of Jizo Bosatsu |
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| The cemetery is the largest in Japan |
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| Red and orange are the dominant colours |
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| Impressive! |
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| The little shelter is in need of some repair |
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| The moss keeps the Buddha warm |
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| Less gaudy and striking for it |
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| Sisters? |
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| Daniela, not in red! |
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| A long line in the sun and shadow |
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| So carefully looked after |
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| The cedar trees are magnificent |
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| Gorgeous mausoleum |
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| I couldn't find any information about it. Please leave a comment if you know |
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| Some of the walkways are large avenues, others are small pathways |
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| Wish I could read........ |
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| Dappled cedar roots |
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| This was a figurine we saw on a temple as we were walking in the main street. He doesn't look too happy about holding the temple up all the time! |
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| The entrance to Kongōbu-ji (金剛峯寺) It is the ecclesiastic head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism |
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| Its name means "Temple of the Diamond Mountain" |
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| The temple was first constructed as Seigan-ji Temple in 1593 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi on the death of his mother, rebuilt in 1861, and given its present name in 1869 |
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| The temple's modern Banryūtei (蟠龍庭) rock garden is Japan's largest (2340 square meters), with 140 granite stones arranged to suggest a pair of dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple |
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| I guess you have to have an arial view to see the dragons |
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| Time for a cup of tea before heading back to Osaka. A truly magical place, Koyasan was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. The picture on the far wall in the centre is of Kobo Daishi who founded the monastic complex at Koyasan in 816 |
