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History of Koyasan


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First settled in 819 by the monk K?kai, Mt. K?ya is primarily known as the world headquarters of the K?yasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Located in an 800 m high valley amid the 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 original monastery has grown into the town of K?ya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and 120 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims. The mountain is home to the following famous sites:

�    Okunoin the mausoleum of K?kai, surrounded by an immense graveyard (the largest in Japan)

�    Danjogaran a heartland of Mt. K?ya.

o    Konpon Dait? a pagoda that according to Shingon doctrine represents the central point of a mandala covering not only Mt. K?ya but all of Japan

�    Kong?bu-ji the head temple of the K?yasan Shingon Buddhism

�    K?yasan ch?ishi-michi, the traditional route up the mountain

In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. K?ya, along with two other locations on the Kii Peninsula, Yoshino and Omine; and Kumano Sanzan, as World Heritage Sites "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range"
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