高 野 山(こうやさん)

こうやさん

noun (proper)

Mount Kōya (Buddhist monastic center)

1. Mount Kōya, center of Shingon Buddhism

A mountain in Wakayama Prefecture where 空海(くうかい) founded the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism in 816. More than a hundred temples stand on its summit plateau, and visitors can stay overnight in temple lodgings.

高野山(こうやさん)に行(い)った。

I went to Mount Kōya.

高野山(こうやさん)の宿坊(しゅくぼう)に泊(と)まった。

I stayed at a temple lodging on Mount Kōya.

高野山(こうやさん)の奥之院(おくのいん)では、空海(くうかい)が今(いま)も瞑想(めいそう)を続(つづ)けていると信(しん)じられている。

At Okunoin on Mount Kōya, Kūkai is believed to be still in meditation.

The "mountain" is a plateau ringed by peaks rather than a single summit.

Common expressions

宿坊(しゅくぼう): temple lodging, with vegetarian 精進料理(しょうじんりょうり) and morning prayers
奥之院(おくのいん): the inner sanctuary and vast cemetery around Kūkai's mausoleum
高野豆腐(こうやどうふ): freeze-dried tofu, named after the mountain

Cultural note

It became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

general

Added 2026.9.28 17:45 · Revised 2026.9.28 17:48

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