Kongo Sanmai-in Temple

Kongo Sanmai-in is a temple on Mount Koya in Koya Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture. It is a special head temple (betsugo honzan) of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism and also offers temple lodging. It is a component of the World Heritage property "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range," and is known as a quiet temple that preserves Kamakura-period architecture, including a National Treasure pagoda.

The temple was founded in 1211. Hojo Masako built it as Zenjo-in to pray for her husband Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Eisai is said to have been invited to the opening ceremony. It was later renamed Kongo Sanmai-in and became a temple for Minamoto no Sanetomo, closely tied to the family of the Kamakura shogunate. In 1223 the pagoda, the sutra repository and other buildings were completed with her support. In 1281 two study halls were built, and the temple became a center of Nanzan doctrinal learning.

The highlight is the National Treasure tahoto, a two-story pagoda built by Masako around 1223. It has a cypress-bark roof and stands about 14.9 meters tall, and is regarded as the second-oldest tahoto in Japan after the one at Ishiyama-dera. The temple also keeps a set of Kamakura-period wooden seated Five Wisdom Buddhas. The sutra repository, also from around 1223, is an Important Cultural Property in the azekura log-storehouse style.

The Edo-period guest hall and kitchen are Important Cultural Properties, and the guest hall's large room has sliding-door paintings of plum blossoms and pheasants on a gold ground. The principal image of the main hall is Aizen Myoo, which, together with an eleven-faced thousand-armed Kannon, is an Important Cultural Property. A large grove of rhododendrons in the grounds is a Wakayama Prefectural Natural Monument.

While many visitors to Mount Koya head to Okunoin, Kongobu-ji and the Danjo Garan, Kongo Sanmai-in is relatively quiet. Allow about an hour. Hours and fees can change, so please check by phone before you go. The temple also takes overnight guests.

It pairs naturally with Koyasan Kongobu-ji (about 500 m). With a longer trip, you can reach Niutsuhime Shrine (about 8 km). Mount Koya is reached by cable car and bus, so be prepared for snow and cold in winter.