Spirituality in the Mountains of Koyasan | Itineraries | Travel Japan (Japan National Tourism Organization)

Okunoin Temple

Surrounded by cedars, Kukai’s resting place has a mystical atmosphere

As you approach the temple following along a cedar-lined path, you’ll pass more than 200,000 gravestones and towers constructed as memorials over 1,000 years. Far from feeling melancholy, the atmosphere is peaceful, and you may recognize some names from Japanese history including warlords Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobunaga.

Okunoin Temple is the spiritual resting place of Kukai. Beyond the Gobyobashi Bridge, you are not allowed to take photographs, eat, drink or smoke. When you cross this bridge, you should bow your head and hold your hands in prayer, because it is believed by many that Kukai waits in welcome at the other side of the bridge. You’ve entered a sacred realm.

End your day by checking into one of the temple lodgings, a shukubo, where you can immerse yourself in the Shingon Buddhist lifestyle of Koyasan.