Okoromo-dera, Buddhist temple in Koya, Japan
Okoromo-dera is a Buddhist temple on Mount Koya in Japan, made up of several wooden buildings connected by covered walkways. It sits among tall cedar trees and forms part of the large monastic complex that covers the mountaintop.
Mount Koya was founded as a center for Shingon Buddhism by the monk Kobo Daishi in 816, and the temples that rose there, including this one, were built in the decades that followed. Over the centuries, fires destroyed and rebuilt much of the complex, and many of the buildings seen today date from the Edo period.
The temple belongs to the Shingon school of Buddhism, which places great importance on rituals, chanting, and meditation. Visitors can hear monks chanting in the early morning and smell incense drifting through the wooden halls.
The temple is reached on foot from the cable car station at the top of the mountain, as the whole monastic complex is explored by walking. Comfortable shoes are a good idea, since the paths between temples can be uneven and sometimes steep.
Despite the large number of temples on the mountain, each one maintains its own small garden with a distinct arrangement of stones, moss, and water that sets it apart from its neighbors. Slowing down and looking closely at these details reveals a side of Mount Koya that many visitors miss.
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