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Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanFukuchiin Temple Fukuchiin is located in Kōya, a town in the Northern region of Wakayama prefecture. Fukuchiin, one of the many temples on the holy land of Shingon Buddhisn, Mount Kōya is very popular because of its gardens and shukubo lodgings. Fukuchiin was first opened approximately 800 years ago to worship the deity Aizen Myō’ō. It is said to have the power to fulfill all desires and make all wishes come true. There are three gardens at Fukuchiin: the Horai Yusentei rock garden, Aizentei, and Tosentei. They were all designed by the landscape architect, Mirei Shigemori. Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the gardens all day as they change from morning to when they are illuminated at night . Fukuchiin also has shukubo temple lodgings. Lodgers can participate in the religious morning service, hand-copying kanji sutras, tracing Buddhist images, and making Juzu prayer beads. Fukuchiin also boasts about having the only natural hot spring baths on Mount Kōya. Forget your troubles by relaxing here and cleansing your mind and body .
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanShiide Itsukushima Shrine Shiide Itsukushima Shrine is located in Kudoyamacho, Shiide, Wakayama prefecture. It was originally founded to enshrine a guardian deity of this area, but due to the late Meiji Period wave of shrine mergers all over Japan, it merged into the nearby Kamikosawa Itsukushima Shrine, leaving only the main altar building today. It’s just a 2 minute walk from Koyashita Station on the Nankai Line. Jizo Temple stands at the back of the shrine, housing the Jizo Shoryu (meaning Rising dragon) picture on its ceiling. One of the features of this shrine is the Shinto ritual, Oni no Mai (Dance of the Devil), held on August 16th every year, and designated as one of the Intangible Cultural Properties of Wakayama. The purpose of Oni no Mai is to ward off natural disasters and bad luck and to pray for an abundant harvest and safety of the village people.The tradition has an oral history dating back as far as 670 years, and a written history of 350. The cast of Oni no Mai consists of a devil, a drummer, a crowd pleaser, 2 flutists, and 7 local singers. The legend tells that the children who touch the stick held by the devil will grow up healthy, so the festival attracts crowds of excited spectators and their children.
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanEkoin Temple Ekoin is located in Kōya, a town in the Northern region of Wakayama prefecture. Visitors of Mount Kōya, a training ground for Shingon Buddhism, can stay at the temple’s shukubo lodgings. When Ekoin originated in the 8th century, it was first called a “place to transfer merit”, because Kōbō-Daishi’s disciple, the priest Dosho, performed many transfers of merit or “eko” here. Then, around the year 1700, Tokugawa Yoshimune ordered the name (kanji only) to be changed to its current one. At Ekoin, visitors have the opportunity to try various experiences related to the Shingon teachings, like the Ajikan meditation method, sutra kanji copying, morning religious service, and a guided night tour of Okuno-in. Okuno-in is an amazing spot that is even more eerie at night.
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanOkuno-in Located deep within Mount Kōya of the Ito District in Northern Wakayama is Okuno-in, the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. The founder of Shingon Buddhism, Kōbō-Daishi(also known as Kūkai), was laid to rest here and there is therefore, has a solemn quality to the air. To reach the Kōbō-Daishi Gobyō(mausoleum) where Kōbō-Daishi sleeps, visitors must walk on a 2 kilometer path that starts at the Ichinohashi bridge. On either side of the path are you can see Japanese cedar trees, that are hundreds of years old, and over 20,000 tombstones and memorial markers. From war lords, like Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga, to ordinary peasants, many lay down to rest here for a peaceful rebirth in paradise. The land beyond the Gobyōhashi bridge at the end of the path, is a truly holy place. Be sure to visit the Kōbō-Daishi Gobyō and the nearby Torodo lantern hall.
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanNiukanshobu Shrine Located in Kudoyama-chō, the northern area of Wakayama prefecture, is Niukanshōbu Shrine. It is where Kōbō-Daishi enshrined the two local guardian deities, Niutsuhime and Takanomiko. This shrine has been designated as a heritage asset and forms part of “The Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”. In addition, it is Wakayama prefecture’s eleventh pilgrimage destination where many visit during their Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage of thirty-three Buddhist temples. The three shrine buildings are designated as a nationally important cultural property. The richly colored wooden building consists of the architectural style known as the Ikkensha Kasuga-zukuri with Hiwadabuki (a roof thatching technique with cypress bark). The biggest event, “Kanshōbu Festival”, takes place on the 4th Sunday in October. “Kanshōbu” means manor. At the climax of the festival, a mikoshi togyo parade (a Shinto ritual where a portable shrine carries the god) takes place with Ōasa (a wooden wand decorated with paper streamers) followed by Karabitsu (a Chinese-style chest), Takahari (lantern on a long pole), Jitsu-ki (a flag symbolizing the sun with gold embroidery), and Getsu-ki (a flag symbolizing the moon with silver embroidery). It is truly a sight not to be missed.
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanJokiin Temple Jokiin is located in Kōya, a town in the Northern region of Wakayama prefecture. The temple can be found right in front of Kongōbuji temple, which is at the center of Mount Kōya. It is famous for its shukubo temple lodging experience. Mount Kōya is where Kōbō-Daishi(also known as Kūkai) settled to create a training place for the Shingon sect of Buddhism after he returned from China. Jokiin was opened by his first disciple, Jitsue, and was restored in 1156 by another Shingon monk, Shinkaku. It burned down in the great Edo period fire, but was restored again in 1870. Jokiin’s shukubo is available to the public. Shukubo are lodges at temples and shrines. Of the 117 temples on Mount Kōya, 52 have shukubo. At Jokiin, lodgers can try hand-copying kanji sutras, participate in the morning religious service, and enjoy shoshin meals that are vegetarian and prepared following Buddhist principles. There is also a large bath and other facilities that allow visitors to relax in comfort during their stay. Other than its shukubo, Jokiin is known for its Jizō statue, which is classified as an Important Cultural Property and has many hanging lanterns.
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanJizo Temple Jizo Temple is a Koyasan Shingon sect Buddhist temple located 2 minutes by foot from the Nankai train line Koyashita station in Kudoyama-cho, Wakayama Prefecture. It serves as a betto-ji (a temple attached to a shrine) for Shiideitsukushima Shrine. While it is unknown when this temple was built, considering that the temple owns the 288th volume of the "Dai-hannya-kyo Sutra" which was transcribed in 1107 and received a memorial service from the priest Keishin, it should have been built before that year. The main highlight of the temple is a picture of "Jizo Shoryu", which fills a 3.6 square meter space on the cieling of the priest's living and cooking room. The dynamic drawing shows a golden dragon flying in the sky, with Jizo-Bosatsu (the temple's main buddhist deity) on its head. The closest station, Koyashita station, was formerly called Koyasan station, and was the starting point for pilgrimages to Koyasan, a sacred place for Japanese Buddhism. It is well know that from a long time ago many people visited Koyasan, making this temple very busy. How about a stroll in Kudoyama-cho, a town full of the places like Jizo temple and Shiideitsukushima shrine, that carry the power of esoteric Buddhism? (Photo: Kudoyama-cho Wakayama)
Category： Shrine / templeArea： KoyasanNiutsuhime Shrine Niutsuhime Shrine is located in the northern region of Wakayama Prefecture in Katsuragi Town. This historical shrine holds over 1,700 years of history. It is the main head shrine of the over 80 Niutsuhime Shrines located all over Japan. It is also registered as a World Heritage Site, as a part of the Sankeimichi’s Spiritual ground and pilgrimage. One of the attractions is the magnificent architecture that has been protected throughout the shrine's long history. The main shrine is Japan’s largest pieces of Kasuga-style architecture, which is registered as an important cultural asset, along with the Tower Gate “Rou-mon”. This shrine, which is surrounded by a rich number of seasonal plants, such as weeping cherry blossoms and wisteria, holds seasonal festivals at the shrine. Every April is the Spring flower festival “Hana Mori Festival”, where flowers are offered to the god of worship for the arrival of Spring.
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