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First stop in our Japan tour is Koyasan, a temple town in the mountains southeast of Osaka, and the world headquarters of the Koyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. It's very cold the next morning as we wander for hours through the endless Okunoin graveyard deep in a towering cedar forest. The heart of this site is the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, renowned monk and founder of Shingon Buddhism, who is said to have entered eternal meditation here in the year 870. Wishing to be close to Kobo Daishi in death, many prominent Japanese over the centuries have had their tombstones erected here, and it is the largest cemetery in Japan. This is a very atmospheric place, filled with echoes of the past. I especially appreciate the way the monuments and the trees seem to be treated equally with reverence and respect. (No photos allowed of the inner temple.) The mood is doubly mysterious as we return to walk the dimly lit path as night falls. |
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