We started our day off with “Ajakan” Buddhist meditation at the monastery. We were able to experience the ceremony and actually feel the serene effects that the monotonous chants of the monks have in the space. The combination of the chimes and the verbal tones helped us to get ready for the day. The duration of the day consisted of touring Koyasan’s historical temples.
Entry courtyard of Kongobuji Temple (Photo by Chelsea)
Interior rock garden in Kongobuji Temple (Photo by Chelsea)
The first temple we visited was the Kongobuji Temple. Kongobuji is the administrative head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism. The sacred space consisted of beautiful paintings that portrayed nature on shoji screens. The screens formed the interior spaces of rooms that once catered to visiting guest of the temple. Kongobuji also forms the largest rock garden in Japan.
Next we visited the Reihokan Museum. The museum was constructed specifically to house the artwork held by the temples of Koyasan. Many of the pieces that were on display, ranged from ink drawings to ancient statues. The museum allowed us to see the range in which the Japanese people are able to express their culture and traditions through different types of mediums.
The Big Pagoda (Photo by Kirsten)
To sum up the tour, we visited an area in Koyasan that housed Tahoto in Kongo sanmai-in and Daito (Great Pagoda). Kobo Daishi, a monk who established Shingon Buddhism, planned the Great Pagoda to be the central part of the monastic complex. It size creates a sublime experience as you walk into the complex. Each temple in the complex has it's own certain character and creates different experiences when one is within the vicinity of each one. This monastic complex was also a location for us to receive a calligraphy signature from the monks that serve within the area.
Later on that evening the rain stopped, so we made our way back to the Monastic Complex for a nighttime photography lesson. The dim glow from the lanterns was stunning under the dark skies. However, the highly illuminated great pagoda cast a white light that almost overtook the beauty of the lanterns. The different lighting made for a very contrasting view of the same landscape and expressed the way two structures are viewed, the grand regality of the Great Pagoda and the elegant Humility of Miedo.
-Kirsten, Chelsea, and Kennedy
(Written by Chelsea)
Night Photo of Miedo (Portrait Hall) (Photo by Kirsten)
Night photo Glow of Lantern K.N