Tenpōrin-ji, Buddhist temple at Mount Kongo peak, Gose, Japan
Tenpōrin-ji is a Shingon Daigo-ha head temple on the summit of Mount Kongo in Takama, Gose, Nara Prefecture, and the root training centre of Katsuragi Shugendo. Its crest is three maple leaves. The main hall, rebuilt with support from the Kongo-san-ko lay association, was completed in 1961.
The temple was founded in 665 when the young ascetic En no Gyoja established it following a spiritual vision at this mountain location. It was abandoned during the late 1800s but revived in the mid-20th century.
The temple's name, Tenpōrin-ji, refers to the 'wheel of the Dharma.' As the head temple of Katsuragi Shugendō, it blends Shingon Buddhism with mountain asceticism; the temple crest is three maple leaves. En no Gyōja is said to have founded it in 665, and the site remains a training center for Shugendō practitioners.
The Kongo Ropeway, once an option for reaching the temple, has been suspended since March 2019, so the site is now reached on foot only. The most common approach is the Chihaya Honmichi route from the Kongo Tozanguchi bus stop, served by Nankai Bus and Chihaya-Akasaka Village Bus; several other trails also lead up the mountain.
The temple was completely abandoned in the late 1800s during a period when the government opposed Buddhist institutions nationwide. Its post-war revival preserved the mountain monastic traditions that had nearly disappeared.
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