| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Danjogaran, the central point of Mount Kōya | |
| Location | Wakayama Prefecture,Japan |
| Part of | Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range |
| Criteria | Cultural: ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 1142 |
| Inscription | 2004 (28thSession) |
| Coordinates | 34°12′45″N135°35′11″E / 34.21250°N 135.58639°E /34.21250; 135.58639 |
  Location of Mount Kōya in Japan | |
Mount Kōya (高野山,Kōya-san) is a large temple settlement inWakayama Prefecture,Japan to the south ofOsaka. In the strictest sense,Mount Kōya is the mountain name (sangō) ofKongōbu-ji Temple, the ecclesiastical headquarters of the Kōyasan sect ofShingon Buddhism.[1]
First settled in 819 by the monkKūkai, Mount Kōya is primarily known as the world headquarters of the KōyasanShingon sect ofJapanese Buddhism. Located on an 800-meter-high plain amid eight peaks of the mountain, which was the reason this location was selected, in that the terrain is supposed to resemble a lotus plant, the originalmonastery has grown into the town ofKōya.
Koya features a university dedicated to religious studies and 120 sub-temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims. Mount Kōya is also a common starting point to theShikoku Pilgrimage (四国遍路,Shikoku Henro) associated with Kūkai.
The mountain is home to the following famous sites:
In 2004,UNESCO designated Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya, as part of theWorld Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range".[7] Kōya Sankeimichi, the traditional pilgrimage route to Mount Kōya was also inscribed as part of the World Heritage Site.[7]
The complex includes a memorial hall and cemetery honoring Japanese who were imprisoned or executed for committingatrocities during World War II.[8][9] Within the cemetery are several memorials valorizing the brutal wartime aggression of Japan in East Asia.[10]
Kōya-san is accessible primarily by theNankai Electric Railway fromNamba Station (in Osaka) toGokurakubashi Station at the base of the mountain.A cable car from Gokurakubashi ("Paradise Bridge") then whisks visitors to the top in 5 minutes. The entire trip takes about 1.5 hours on an express train or 2 hours by non-express.
Local automobile traffic can be very heavy on weekends until well into the evening. On weekdays, however, the mountain offers a pleasant drive followed by the excitement of reaching the monasteries lining the summit. Many Buddhist monasteries on the mountain function as hotels for visitors providing traditional accommodation with an evening meal and breakfast. Guest are also invited to participate in the morning services.
| Climate data for Mount Kōya (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.1 (59.2) | 17.9 (64.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.8 (87.4) | 33.7 (92.7) | 33.2 (91.8) | 31.1 (88.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 19.7 (67.5) | 33.7 (92.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 15.1 (59.2) | 20.1 (68.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 12.2 (54.0) | 6.3 (43.3) | 15.8 (60.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4.0 (39.2) | 9.4 (48.9) | 14.4 (57.9) | 18.1 (64.6) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.8 (73.0) | 19.1 (66.4) | 13.2 (55.8) | 7.5 (45.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | 11.1 (51.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.0 (24.8) | −3.8 (25.2) | −1.0 (30.2) | 3.7 (38.7) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.0 (57.2) | 18.4 (65.1) | 18.8 (65.8) | 15.3 (59.5) | 9.1 (48.4) | 3.0 (37.4) | −1.6 (29.1) | 6.7 (44.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −12.8 (9.0) | −13.4 (7.9) | −9.4 (15.1) | −5.1 (22.8) | −1.4 (29.5) | 3.4 (38.1) | 9.9 (49.8) | 11.8 (53.2) | 5.0 (41.0) | −1.5 (29.3) | −5.0 (23.0) | −10.0 (14.0) | −13.4 (7.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 87.6 (3.45) | 97.4 (3.83) | 141.7 (5.58) | 141.5 (5.57) | 166.6 (6.56) | 260.3 (10.25) | 256.4 (10.09) | 192.5 (7.58) | 247.5 (9.74) | 203.3 (8.00) | 108.4 (4.27) | 89.3 (3.52) | 2,003.1 (78.86) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.7 | 11.1 | 12.6 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 13.7 | 12.7 | 10.9 | 11.7 | 11.2 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 137.6 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 82.9 | 96.7 | 138.5 | 176.5 | 185.5 | 124.9 | 146.1 | 166.8 | 124.7 | 130.6 | 115.6 | 93.0 | 1,582.3 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[13][14] | |||||||||||||
Nicoloff, Philip L. (2008).Sacred Koyasan: A pilgrimage to the Mountain Temple of Saint Kōbō Daishi and the Great Sun Buddha.State University of New York Press.ISBN 978-0-7914-7259-0.
34°12′45″N135°35′11″E / 34.21250°N 135.58639°E /34.21250; 135.58639
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| National | |
