Kongōshō-ji, Buddhist temple in Ise, Japan
Kongōshō-ji is a Buddhist temple perched on Mount Asama in Mie Prefecture. The main hall shows red lacquer on its outer walls and gold leaf inside, set among forested slopes.
The temple emerged in the sixth century and received renewal in 825 through the monk Kukai. This revival turned it into a center for esoteric Buddhist teachings.
The temple houses the Fukuichi Mankoku Zoudai Bosatsu, one of Japan's three major Kokuzo Bodhisattvas, displayed only once every twenty years.
The main hall opens between 9 and 3:45 in the afternoon, reachable by taxi from Kintetsu Isuzugawa Station or via the Ise-Shima Skyline toll road. The mountain route winds steeply, so consider motion sickness or unsuitable footwear before the journey.
The Okunoin displays many tall wooden stupas built through a regional practice called Take-miri to honor the deceased. This custom gives the inner sanctuary an unusual appearance that sets it apart from other temple grounds.
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