Mount Koya
Mount Koya (高野山 Kōya-san) is a mountain in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka.
First settled in 819 by the monk Kukai, Mt. Koya is primarily known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Located in a 800m-high valley amid the 8 peaks of the mountain, the original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and over 100 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims. The mountain is home to the following famous sites:
- Oku-no-In, the mausoleum of Kukai, surrounded by an immense graveyard
- Konpon Daito, a pagoda that according to Shingon doctrine represents the central point of a mandala covering not only Mt. Koya but all of Japan
- Kongobuji, the headquarters of the Shingon sect
The mountain is accessible primarily by the Nankai Electric Railway from Namba Station to Gokurakubashi at the base of the mountain. A cable car from Gokurakubashi then whisks visitors to the top in 5 minutes. The entire trip takes about 1.5 hours on an express train.
In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. Koya, along with two other locations on the Kii Peninsula, as World Heritage Sites.
