Danjo Garan

The Danjo Garan is the ceremonial heart of Koyasan, the sacred precinct that Kukai laid out first when he founded the mountain monastery. At its centre rises the Konpon Daito, a great vermilion pagoda nearly fifty metres tall whose interior forms a three-dimensional mandala, with a central Dainichi Buddha surrounded by four further Buddhas and painted pillars. Around it stand the main Kondo hall, the Miedo, the oldest Fudo-do, and rows of gates and sub-halls set among tall cedars. The grounds are free to wander, while the Konpon Daito and Kondo have a small entry fee, and the complex pairs naturally with a walk to nearby Kongobu-ji.