Garan

What to know

According to legend, Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, threw his sankosho (a double-ended, three-pronged Buddhist ceremonial tool) from China, where he had been studying, toward Japan. Upon returning to Japan in search of a headquarters for his new religion, he found his sankosho lodged in the branches of a pine tree on Koyasan. This led him to begin construction of the Garan, the central temple complex of Koyasan. The pine tree that caught the sankosho still stands there today.

The two most prominent buildings in the Garan are the Kondo Hall and the massive Konpon Daito Pagoda. The Kondo Hall is a large wooden temple hall where major ceremonies take place. It has burned down several times over the centuries, and the current hall dates from 1932. It enshrines an image of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing.

Next to the Kondo Hall stands the vermilion Konpon Daito Pagoda, a 45-meter-tall, two-tiered tahoto-style pagoda. Inside, a statue of Dainichi Nyorai (the Cosmic Buddha, also known as Vairocana), the central Buddha in Shingon Buddhism, is surrounded by statues and paintings on pillars, forming a rare three-dimensional mandala (a metaphysical map of the cosmos). Mandalas are usually two-dimensional paintings.

Kobo Daishi began building the Kondo Hall and Daito Pagoda but did not finish them himself. His successors completed the two main structures and expanded the Garan grounds over time with additional halls and pagodas, including the Toto (eastern pagoda), Saito (western pagoda), Miedo (founder's hall), and Koya Myojin Shrine, which enshrines Koyasan's local kami (Shinto deities).

The Garan is located in central Koyasan, about a five-minute walk from the Senjuinbashi intersection and just a few steps from Kongobuji Temple.

How to get to and around Koyasan Garan Grounds Hours: Always open Closed: No closing days Admission: Free Kondo Hall and Daito Pagoda Hours: 8:30 to 17:00 Closed: No closing days Admission: 500 yen (each), 2500 yen (combination ticket that includes admission to the Kondo Hall, Daito Pagoda, and various other sights on Koyasan) Questions? Ask in our forum.