We read about visiting Koyasan contradictory in a day trip things. According Hyperdia, the train ride from Kyoto takes two and half hours, acceptable thing in one day. But at a conference we attended a few traveling on Japan considered it impossible, said it was very difficult to catch different trains and it took more than 5 hours! Our experience is that it is perfectly feasible whenever you get up early (we took the first train at 7:30 am). True, there are many different trains to catch, but if you know which are no problem. Since Kyoto the best combination is to take the JR Kyoto Line to Osaka (Umeda), then take the JR Loop Line to Shin-Inamiya where you have to switch to the Nankai Koya Line private line (not within the JR Pass). In that same season Koyasan World Heritage bought the Ticket for 2780 yen, further ticket round trip to Koyasan, includes unlimited use on local buses Koyasan and discounts on most of the temples. The Nankai Koya Line Gokurakubashi ends, where you must take a funicular that leaves on the mountain overlooking the valley of Koyasan. To lower the people need to take a bus, since it is forbidden to walk on the access road. In total it took 3 ½ hours to get to Koyasan, for the train to Shin-Inamiya us narrowly escaped and had to wait half an hour.
See Japan 15a: Koyasan & Osaka II in a larger map
The first monastery of Koyasan was founded in the early ninth century by Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi. When the monk was young he went to China to study Buddhism. Legend says that Kukai wanted to found a temple in Japan, but did not know where, so from the China launched a "vajra" toward his country. Years later, while traveling around Japan looking for the ideal location for his temple, he found his vajra trapped in a pine tree in what would later Koyasan, where he founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
15b See Japan: Koyasan & Osaka II in a larger map
It was nearly 11pm when we reached the center of Koyasan, first we went to the tourist office, where we were provided with a booklet with very good information. Then we went to visit the first temple, the Kongobuji, one of the most important and beautiful of Koyasan. It was founded in the sixteenth century by the daimyo Toyotomi Hidetoshi in honor of his mother, although it was rebuilt in the nineteenth after being destroyed by fire. We entered the stadium for a beautiful wooden door, one of the few remaining original structures.
Kongobuji input
After flanking the door it started to rain, but we stopped to admire the beautiful buildings of wood we found. They seemed very old, and one of them had a magnificent relief of a dragon that seemed to come from the same temple.
Kongobuji
We went inside the temple, whose interiors were more beautiful if possible, than the facade that we had seen. There was a room would be decorated with beautiful paintings of the sixteenth century, showing herons and snowy pines. Then they made us into a huge room where we were treated to tea and biscuits, there was a monk who was talking animatedly with other visitors.
paintings in Kongobuji
Everything seen above would be far outweighed by the Banryutei, an amazing zen garden. It is relatively new, it was built less than 30 years ago, and some rocks represented by a pair of dragons emerging from clouds, represented by sand. The combination of rocks, sand, temples and trees was perfect! Without doubt, the best zen garden we saw in Japan. Another must!
Kongobuji road to Banryutei
Kongobuji, Banryutei
Kongobuji, Banryutei
With a good taste we headed towards the Danjo Garan, a sacred enclosure consisting of several buildings where Kuikai founded his first temple. The first thing we saw was the colorful Toto pagoda, built in the twelfth century but completely destroyed in a fire a few years ago and was rebuilt. Next to it is the Daie-do, a wooden building that looked very old, although it is a reconstruction of the nineteenth century. Opposite is the Fudo-do, the oldest temple in Koyasan (XII century).
Danjo Garan, with Toto pagoda right
Danjo Garan, Daie-do
Danjo Garan, Fudo-do
The building surprised us most was the Daito Konpon stupa, with its bright colors (similar to Toto pagoda, but on a larger scale). Inside you could not take pictures, too bad that the interior was very interesting: there was a big Buddha "nyorai" surrounded by four smaller Buddhas. The rest of the interior is beautifully decorated, especially the pillars with beautiful paintings.
Daito Konpon
In front of the stupa entered the Kondo, the old reading room of Kukai. It was built in the ninth century, but the current building is a reconstruction of the XX. The interior was much less spectacular than the Daito Konpon.
Kondo
Kondo, inside
Finally we went through the Fear, a small wooden building considered the most sacred because it is said that there lived Kukai. Opposite was two sacred pine (Sanko-no-matsu), which are said to be descendants of the tree that landed the vajra Kukai launched from China.
We left the area Danjo Garan and caught a bus (had to take the bonus!) To the door of Daimon. This is the gateway to Koyasan, built in the twelfth century and rebuilt in the XVII. Although it looked spectacular by far not worth much.
See Japan 15a: Koyasan & Osaka II in a larger map
The first monastery of Koyasan was founded in the early ninth century by Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi. When the monk was young he went to China to study Buddhism. Legend says that Kukai wanted to found a temple in Japan, but did not know where, so from the China launched a "vajra" toward his country. Years later, while traveling around Japan looking for the ideal location for his temple, he found his vajra trapped in a pine tree in what would later Koyasan, where he founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
15b See Japan: Koyasan & Osaka II in a larger map
It was nearly 11pm when we reached the center of Koyasan, first we went to the tourist office, where we were provided with a booklet with very good information. Then we went to visit the first temple, the Kongobuji, one of the most important and beautiful of Koyasan. It was founded in the sixteenth century by the daimyo Toyotomi Hidetoshi in honor of his mother, although it was rebuilt in the nineteenth after being destroyed by fire. We entered the stadium for a beautiful wooden door, one of the few remaining original structures.
Kongobuji input
After flanking the door it started to rain, but we stopped to admire the beautiful buildings of wood we found. They seemed very old, and one of them had a magnificent relief of a dragon that seemed to come from the same temple.
Kongobuji
We went inside the temple, whose interiors were more beautiful if possible, than the facade that we had seen. There was a room would be decorated with beautiful paintings of the sixteenth century, showing herons and snowy pines. Then they made us into a huge room where we were treated to tea and biscuits, there was a monk who was talking animatedly with other visitors.
paintings in Kongobuji
Everything seen above would be far outweighed by the Banryutei, an amazing zen garden. It is relatively new, it was built less than 30 years ago, and some rocks represented by a pair of dragons emerging from clouds, represented by sand. The combination of rocks, sand, temples and trees was perfect! Without doubt, the best zen garden we saw in Japan. Another must!
Kongobuji road to Banryutei
Kongobuji, Banryutei
Kongobuji, Banryutei
With a good taste we headed towards the Danjo Garan, a sacred enclosure consisting of several buildings where Kuikai founded his first temple. The first thing we saw was the colorful Toto pagoda, built in the twelfth century but completely destroyed in a fire a few years ago and was rebuilt. Next to it is the Daie-do, a wooden building that looked very old, although it is a reconstruction of the nineteenth century. Opposite is the Fudo-do, the oldest temple in Koyasan (XII century).
Danjo Garan, with Toto pagoda right
Danjo Garan, Daie-do
Danjo Garan, Fudo-do
The building surprised us most was the Daito Konpon stupa, with its bright colors (similar to Toto pagoda, but on a larger scale). Inside you could not take pictures, too bad that the interior was very interesting: there was a big Buddha "nyorai" surrounded by four smaller Buddhas. The rest of the interior is beautifully decorated, especially the pillars with beautiful paintings.
Daito Konpon
In front of the stupa entered the Kondo, the old reading room of Kukai. It was built in the ninth century, but the current building is a reconstruction of the XX. The interior was much less spectacular than the Daito Konpon.
Kondo
Kondo, inside
Finally we went through the Fear, a small wooden building considered the most sacred because it is said that there lived Kukai. Opposite was two sacred pine (Sanko-no-matsu), which are said to be descendants of the tree that landed the vajra Kukai launched from China.
We left the area Danjo Garan and caught a bus (had to take the bonus!) To the door of Daimon. This is the gateway to Koyasan, built in the twelfth century and rebuilt in the XVII. Although it looked spectacular by far not worth much.
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