Koyasan Okunoin

The holiest sanctuary of Shingon Buddhism, where Kobo Daishi Kukai is believed to continue living in meditation to this day. Under the belief that 'Great Master continues to live,' the 'Shojinsoku' ritual of offering meals morning and evening has continued unbroken for 1,200 years. The approach to the inner sanctum is lined with more than 200,000 grave markers and memorial towers belonging to people of all social classes, from feudal warlords to commoners, flanked by cryptomeria trees exceeding a thousand years in age. This mystical space, known as 'Japan's Sacred Ground,' possesses a mysterious power that purifies the soul merely by walking through it. Even today, pilgrims from throughout the nation visit to offer prayers seeking dialogue with Great Master.