Kongō-ji, Buddhist temple in Kawachinagano, Japan
Kongō-ji is a Buddhist monastery on Mount Amano in Kawachinagano city, holding several protected buildings and displaying one of the oldest pagodas in the country. The complex includes halls, a temple garden, and walking trails that run through forests and link different shrines together.
A monk named Gyōki is said to have founded the monastery around the year 800, when the capital still stood in Nara. Later, during the wars between the northern and southern courts in the 14th century, the site served as a refuge and base.
This monastery is also called "Women's Kōyasan" because worshippers can arrive here without restrictions, unlike at the neighboring mountain. The main hall keeps three wooden figures from the 12th and 13th centuries, which are national treasures today.
The site can be visited daily between 9 AM and 4:30 PM, and you step off at the Amano-san bus stop, served by Nankai lines. The paths through the grounds are mostly level, but some sections run over steps and uneven trails through the forest.
The three-story pagoda dates from 1320 and belongs to the few medieval wooden pagodas still standing today. Its color has darkened over the centuries, but the original carpentry technique is still visible.
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