Distance: 25.4km (1297.4km), time spent: 7:27.
Weather: Nice.
I am doing exactly what I said I was not going to do. To make the journey to Kōyasan, the sacred mountain of the Shingon-school of Buddhism, I wake up at two o'clock in the middle of the night. Then I take a taxi to the Nankai Ferry Terminal in Tokushima, in order to take the three o'clock ferry over to Wakayama prefecture on Honshū. Honshū is the largest of the four main island of Japan. I am leaving Shikoku, which is the smallest of the four islands. From Wakayama Port, I will have to take no less than three trains to get to Kudoyama. From Kudoyama I would walk up to Kōyasan. This is exactly what Kat Davis did, who has a great blog on the pilgrimage that I had read prior to my own. Reading about her journey up to the sacred mountain, I told myself that I was not going to do it that way. Too early. Now I did it exactly that way. Still too early.
Kudoyama.
There is a reason for this, though. During my pilgrimage I was so fortunate to meet Tomohiro-san, in the morning when I left for Irino Matsubara he invited me to his home after I finished my pilgrimage. In order to do that, make the walk up to Kōyasan and have time to get back to Tokyo for my flight home, I have to start the climb on the Chōisimichi path not too late in the morning. The good thing about the ferry is that is has tatami mats, so that I could put out my sleeping mattress and get some hours on the eye while taking the ferry. It was strange and also kind of sad, standing in the cold dark at Wakayama Port waiting for the train and see the ferry leave for Shikoku again. I had left Shikoku with all its memories, it did feel a little bit too early. Then later an accident occured at a train station and my original schedule was thwarted as some of my train departures become cancelled, but with the help of some friendly people I make it to Kudoyama. A little later than planned, but still in good time for what I had in mind.
Jison-in temple.
Kudoyama is the starting point of one of the several paths that goes up to Kōyasan, but this path is special. It is called Chōisimichi and is on the Unesco World Heritage list, because of the very old stonemarkers standing at regular intervals along the path. The stonemarkers are called Chōisi and some of them are more than 1200 years old, each is a stupa that is shaped in the form of a gorintô consisting of five tiers (which represents the five principle elements of the esoteric Buddhist universe). They stand at about one Chō from each other, with one Chō being about 109m. They were originally wooden, but became replaced by the stone signposts you will find now, of which 179 of the now 220 existing stonemarkers are the original monuments. You can find a nice overview map of the Chōisimichi path here.
At the beginning of the Chōisimichi, the path goes through a bamboo forest.
The Chōisimichi starts from the Jison-in temple from stone signpost number 180. Almost shy and nearly unnoticeable, but once you set your foot on the path you are drawn into the ancient lure of this historic trail. The stonemarkers fascinates me from the very beginning. Each stonemarker should tell me the distance in Chō to the Danjo Garan compound at Kōyasan, but of course I do not know how to read the numbers. If you cannot read the numbers, you can at least do a countdown for each signpost you pass by. The first part of the climb takes me above the valley through orchards and farms. I feel thoroughly happy to be out walking again. Before the path enters the woods after Amabikiyama crossroads it provides great views of the valley below, with an observatory along the way having full view over Koyaguchi, Kudoyama and surroundings.
A view of Koyaguchi and Kudoyama from an orchard near the path.
Views from the beginning of the Chōisimichi path.
In the forest the path turns beautiful. I walk upwards on the undulating path with a wonderful light from the sun through the trees. The surface changes between being smooth to walk on, to clear candidates for henro-korogashi, but thankfully it is dry underfoot today. Mostly standing next to the path, the stonemarkers follows me all the way, but sometimes I find them located deeper into the woods, almost hidden. Silent observers of your walk. It is said that pilgrims in old times stopped at each stupa to offer prayers on their way.
Walking on an ancient marked path, some of these stonemarkers are over 1200 years old.
Local legends and myths flourishes around the path. From the top of the rock named Kayamaki-ishi, Kōbō Daishi should have scattered seeds of Japanese nutmeg (kaya) to help the poor village people of Yamasaki. At another rock, Zentsubo-ishi, a warlord would put money in a pot (tsubo) to pay the wages for the workers of the path. The workers would get the same amount of money, regardless of the size of their hands, as the mouth of the pot was small. Seeing a white snake at the Hakuja-no-iwa rock (with a torii in front of it) will make you happy. The strangest sight I see on the way is however not all these rocks, shrines and toriis (I pass by a cool twin torii called Futatsu-torii), but a golf course suddenly appearing next to the Chōisimichi. Glad I have my sedgehat on to deflect any stray golfballs.
The sun shines through the trees and a stupa.
I am over halfway when I come to Yadate, where the road up to Kōyasan crosses the path. So far it has been a serene and peaceful walk with few other people, but I know that is about to change from now on. There are several groups of people here that are preparing to walk up to the Daimon gate, seemingly released at given intervals. It does not take long time after I have crossed the road to I am back on the wonderful trail again. Not long after, I get the first warning of something that had not troubled me on Shikoku. The frightful and scary Japanese giant hornets known as ōsuzumebachi. I make a silent sutra that I do not encounter one of these.
Futatsu-torii.
The Hakuja-no-iwa rock, a white snakes rock, with a torii. It is said that a monk surprised a white snake here trying to get into a gap in the rock. On the way back from the Nyutsuhime Shrine he found the white snake lurking in the trees above the rock, so he went back to the shrine to make another prayer. Returning to the rock, the snake was no longer there. It is said that the white snake lives in this rock and you will be happy if you see it.
Knowing that the Chōisimichi is a part of the Kumano Kodo, another great pilgrimage here in Japan, I know that I will return someday to walk that (returning to do the Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage is of course something I would like to do again too). The last part of the walk up to Kōyasan seems to be slightly steeper than the first part after the initial climb. Sudden viewpoints on the trail let me look up at the foliage draped over the mountain above, with autumn colours starting to spread out. It is such a beautiful walk. Going ever upwards, I have lost count over how many of the stonemarkers that I have passed by.
The Ogo Pond, next to a golf course.
Looking up at the mountain top, with signs of the autumn colours approaching.
The huge Daimon gate stands at the entrance to Kōyasan, when I am getting close to arrive at the gate, I feel a certain tension and I know that I am almost there. It is quite the majestic moment, to come out of the woods to stand looking up at the huge and impressive structure, I feel a certain awe of seeing it. One of the very few worries I had about Kōyasan, would be the amount of people I would encounter here. I had expected that there would be a lot of people milling around the gate, but there are surprisingly few, they must lie in wait somewhere else. I feel kind of small when I walk underneath the gate leading to the town that lies at the top of Kōyasan.
The huge and impressive Daimon Gate that stands guarding the entrance to Kōyasan.
Walking through the streets, I get the feel of how many people there will be here, there is a sort of traffic jam. At the town centre with all its temples, there are more than 100 of them, it is bustling with people. Many of the temples provides shukubō, which is the usual form of accommodation you find here. I am staying at a temple called Tentokuin, but I do not go directly there. I will first go straight to the mausoleum where Kōbō Daishi sleeps in eternal meditation, Okunoin. On the way, I loose some time at the amazing Danjo Garan with its huge pagoda. There are temples everywhere, and people, lots of tourists.
One of the old stonemarkers leading the way to Danjo Garan with kouyou as a background.
To get to the Okunoin, you have to walk through the largest stone cemetery in Japan and it is awe-inspiring. That is a majestic ending to the walk and pilgrimage. From the Ichinohashi bridge (first bridge), the two kilometres long pathway takes you past over 200 000 tombstones to the Gobyo (the mausoleum) with stone lanterns lined up next to the path. All the tombstones comes in various shapes and sizes, depending on the importance of the person buried at the place, many are covered by moss. It is said that there are no dead in Okunoin, but only waiting spirits. I definitely feel like a spirit walking in an ancient and wonderful place, as it feels so unreal to be here. Maybe the other visitors here thinks I am a spirit too, as I receive a lot of looks from them, especially the tourists, when I walk past them in my henro outfit.
Old tombstones in the cemetery before Okunoin.
Standing before the Gobyonohashi bridge is another special and emotional moment. When I cross the bridge, I will be at the Torodo Hall (Hall of Lamps) with Kōbō Daishi's mausoleum (Gobyo) behind it. Resiting the sutras for the final time is both wonderful and emotional, but unfulfilling at the same time. Unfulfilling because of all the hustle and bustle around me, it is far from the quiet and serene temples on Shikoku. I struggle to feel the calmness I think the moment deserves, but even so, it does feel good to say the final thanks to Kōbō Daishi. Photographing is prohibited here, but I still see a lot of people taking pictures, using both their smartphones and cameras. Then I get the final stamp of my pilgrimage, my nōkyōchō-book is now almost full. I walk back through the cemetery with my mind at peace, having completed the pilgrimage.
Walking through the largest stone cemetery in Japan.
I check in at my temple, Tentokuin, which is a nice and modest temple to stay at. As is the tradition, they keep a private onsen, which is wonderful. Dinner is served at my room and consists of a usual vegetarian meal. I usually prefer to have some meat (or fish) to my meals, but the dinner is actually quite tasty. In the evening, I go out for a walk around Kōyasan, visiting the Danjo Garan compound and the Daimon gate again. Here the kouyou are wonderful lit up by lights in the dark. As well as the temples. It is quieter too in the dark.
The pagoda of Danjo Garan in the evening.
A temple at Kōyasan in the evening.
There are a lot of emotions going through me now, and I am tired, so in the end I retire to my room to relax, with some snacks and beers. I know I probably should haven taken a night tour of Okunoin, which should be a wonderful experience, but I am just too tired. It has been a long and amazing day.
Kōyasan at night.
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