Koyasan 高野山

choi

Anna Hezel, A Search for Solitude on a Mountain of Monasteries; In Koyasan, Local pilgrims cross paths with Western travelers, who are often merely curious. New York Times, Oct 22, 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/ ... astery-koyasan.html

Note:
(a) "I was sitting in the carpeted meditation hall of an 1,100-year-old Buddhist temple in Kōyasan 高野山 [in Wakayama Prefecture; postal address: 和歌山県 伊都郡高野町高野山, followed by a number for each temple] on the Kii Peninsula 紀伊半島] * * * The hall was separated from the temple's garden by only a thin sliding wooden door, and the air inside was crisp and piney, threaded with smoke from incense burning on the altar. * * * Koyasan is one of the premier destinations for Buddhist pilgrims in Japan, and is considered one of the holiest sites in the country. It was chosen 1,200 years ago by the monk Kōbō-Daishi for its lotus-like geography [「蓮の花が開いたような」: ja.wikipedia.org] — a shallow valley ['盆地': ja.wikipedia.org; ~800m] nestled into a mountain [8 peaks, all 1,000m or higher] — to be the headquarters of Esoteric Shingon Buddhism. The religion, which dates to the Tang dynasty, places an emphasis on daily ritual as a means of reaching enlightenment in an immediate, practicable way, developing what several monks described as a 'Buddha nature [佛性; (一念)佛心 in Taiwan].' "
(i) The ja.wikipedia.org says
(A) that the 8 peaks are 今来峰, 宝珠峰, 鉢伏山, 弁天岳, 姑射山, 転軸山, 楊柳山, 摩尼山: "高野山という名称の単独の峰はない."  

My translation for the last sentence: none of the peaks is called 高野山.
(B) that 高野山 is "宗教都市を形成している."
(C) that "高野山真言宗総本山金剛峯寺（山号は高野山）、大本山宝寿院のほか、子院が117か寺に及び、その約半数が宿坊を兼ねている."

This will be explained in () below. What you need to know is all temples/monasteries there are of the same (Buddhist) sect 真言宗.
(ii) Kōbō-Daishi [774-835; 弘法大師: 諡号, conferred by 醍醐天皇 in 921; Kūkai 空海: 法名 (the Buddhist name he used for himself); 真言宗の開祖)

versus 本天台宗の開祖最澄 : 法名（伝教大師: 諡号）; Saichō (767 – 822: en.wikipedia.org)
(iii) Shingon Buddhism  真言宗
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingon_Buddhism

Quote:

"Known in Chinese as the Tangmi, these esoteric teachings would later flourish in Japan under the auspices of a Buddhist monk named Kūkai (空海), who traveled to Tang China to acquire and request transmission of the esoteric teachings.

"The word 'Shingon' is the Japanese reading of Chinese: 真言 Zhēnyán 'True Words,' which in turn is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word 'mantra.'

(iv) 密宗
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/密宗
("目前密教 [or 密宗] 在日本和中國西藏最為興盛。日本密教傳承自中國的唐密，唐密傳承自印度的前期、中期密教。日本有東密（真言宗）和台密（天台密教）兩大分支，東密的道場在東寺、高野山，台密在比叡山、三井寺，本尊是大日如來。西藏密教則是傳承印度的後期密教")

choi

(b) "THE MOUNTAIN [高野山] IS DOTTED with a total of 52 shukubō 宿坊, temples that historically offered overnight lodging to pilgrims. Most of these have also begun to welcome non-pilgrim tourists in recent decades (there are a dozen or so holdouts). For $80 to $150 per night, per person, you can sleep on a tatami mat on the floor of a traditional guest room in a 1,000-year-old temple, eat the monks' traditional vegan fare, and participate in the daily meditation and prayer. A few of the temples advertise amenities like sutra writing [写経: hand-copied sutras] classes, views of monks raking the gardens below, or natural hot springs to bathe in * * * Although Koyasan is only about 86 miles outside of Kyoto, the journey to get there is its own self-selecting odyssey. * * * I arrived at my temple, Eko-in (part of the Danjo Garan temple complex) * * * Outfitted with wooden slippers, I walked * * * to my room * * * with elaborately painted sliding doors and a large window looking out onto the temple's central garden."
(i) As the first sentence explains, 宿坊 was exclusively for "僧侶や参拝者" (worshipers), quoting ja.wikipedia.org, but is nowaday open also to 観光客.
(ii) Ekoin  準別格本山 恵光院
http://www.ekoin.jp/en/
(the tag "Introduction" says "Dosho, KoboDaishi's own disciple, built Ekoin almost 1200 years ago")
(A) Dōshō 道昌 was not among 弘法大師's 十大弟子.
(B) Ekō-in is a temple. But it is wrong for the writer to say "Eko-in (part of the Danjo Garan temple complex)."  In fact, Ekō-in is 0.8 mile east of Danjo Garan, which is NOT a temple complex, or a cluster of temples.
(iii) Danjō Garan 壇上伽藍 is within 金剛峯寺 (in the basin 盆地 of 高野山, so is 恵光院. You may see both temples in Google Map by entering either English name).
(A) 金剛峯寺 Kongōbuji's official website has a Web page:
壇上伽藍（だんじょうがらん）
www.koyasan.or.jp/meguru/sights.html#danjogaran
("お大師さまが高野山をご開創された折、真っ先に整備へ着手した場所です")

My translation: This is the place where 大師 founded/established 高野山, and first set the ground.

That is the definition.

He did built a tower (allegedly there; at 壇上伽藍), but the present one (the one this NYT travelogue displayed in photos) was rebuilt in 1923.
(B) 金剛峯寺
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/金剛峯寺
("根本大塔 - * * * （1階平面が方形、2階平面が円形の二重塔）。1937年（昭和12年）、空海入定1,100年を記念して再建したもので、鉄筋コンクリート造である")

my translation: 根本大塔 is a two-story tower (whose first floor is square and second, round). Rebuilt in 1937 to commemorate the 1,100 anniversary of the death of 空海, it is made of steel rebars [short for reinforced bar] and concrete.

入定 is defined in (c) next.

choi

(c) Japanese-English dictionary:
* danjō 壇上 【だんじょう】 (n): "on a stage; on a platform; on an altar"
* garan 伽藍 【がらん】: "(1) (n; abbr[eviation]) {Buddh} (See 僧伽藍摩) temple (esp. large one); monastery;  (2) (n-suf[fix]) {Buddh} temple building"
* kompon 根本 【こんぽん】 (n): "root; source; origin; foundation"
* nyūjō  入定 【にゅうじょう】 (n,v): "(1) {Buddh} (See [antonym] 出定) entering a state of intense concentration; (2) death (of a high monk, etc)"
* goma 胡麻 (n)
* tōfu 豆腐
* oku 奥 【おく】 (n): "inner part; inside"
* reijō 霊場 【れいじょう】 (n): "sacred ground"
* sankei 参詣 【さんけい】 (n, v): "temple or shrine visit; pilgrimage; homage"
* kake 駆け; 駈け 【かけ】 (n): "canter; gallop"
* beikaku 別格 【べっかく】 (n): "special; extraordinary"
* shonzan 総本山 【そうほんざん】 (n): "{Buddh} head temple of a sect"

choi

(d) "When it was time for dinner, a fleet of several monks arrived, bearing a carafe of hot sake and several lacquerware platforms for the food, each containing a clutter of small bowls. The traditional temple cuisine, called shōjin-ryōri 精進料理 [always vegetarian; 仏教の戒律に基づき殺生 禁断 forbidden], incorporates a bright variety of tastes, textures and colors. Tiny cups of vegetable broth and miso soup flocked around plates of delicate tempura squash, lotus root and shiso 紫蘇 leaves. A pot of slightly bland but hearty cabbage and mushroom udon sat over a little flame. My favorite dish was one that Koyasan is famous for: a savory tofu-like pudding called goma dofu, made from ground sesame and arrowroot flour."
(i)
(A) carafe (n; etymology): "a bottle with a flaring lip used to hold beverages and especially wine"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carafe
(B) carafe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carafe
(photo)
(ii) shiso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiso
(section 6 Culinary use; section 7 Ornamental use)
(iii) "goma dōfu"
(A)  See (c) for definitions.
(B) It is dōfu here -- not tōfu -- because tō is at the middle of a compound word, hence softened to dō .
(iv) arrowroot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowroot
(a starch such as tapioca from cassava, or starch from Japanese arrowroot (Pueraria lobata), also called kudzu 葛)

choi

(e) "Once it was dark, I [left the temple to] join the nighttime tour of Okunoin Cemetery. An English-speaking monk led a group of about 20 guests from Eko-in and some of the surrounding temples through the lantern 燈籠-lit paths of Japan's largest cemetery, pointing out the moss-covered tombs of important national figures, including the inventor of Kabuki [初代 市川團十郎 (1660-1704)] and the founder of Panasonic [formerly 松下電器, founded by 松下 幸之助]."
(i) Okunoin 奥の院 is a cemetery owned, but separate from, by 金剛峯寺. It is where the mausoleum 御廟 of 弘法大師 is, where he was buried.
(ii) The 奥 is defined in (c).

(f) "In the early morning, before breakfast was served, guests of the temple were invited to attend morning prayer and a daily fire ceremony [/] * * * fire ritual * * * : the drums, chanting and flames rising up to the ceiling of the temple as the presiding monk burned a stack of wooden slats with prayers written on them."
(i) Goma (Homa) Fire Ritual.
http://www.ekoin.jp/en/omairi/index.html
("After the morning service, we hold a Goma fire ritual every morning.  The Goma (Homa) Ritual of consecrated fire is unique to Vajrayana and Esoteric Buddhism. * * * The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha and the wood sticks symbolize human desires (the root of suffering). the Buddha burns away the root of our suffering as we pray for our wishes to come true. Flames can sometimes reach a few meters high")
(A) The fire ritual is 護摩 (pronounced goma), whose English is homa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homa_(ritual)
(a Sanskrit word)
(B) 護摩
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/護摩
(photos only; photo 3 is afire ritual in バラモン教 (also written as 婆羅門教 in Japan; English: Brahmanism).
(ii) "The term Brahmanism is considered synonymous with Hinduism, by some scholars"  en.wikipedai.org

choi

(g) "KOYASAN BECAME A Unesco World Heritage site in 2004 (as part of the sacred sites of the Kii mountain range), and since then, the number of annual foreign visitors has more than quadrupled, while the number of Japanese visitors has declined."

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range 紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道. World Heritage Center, Unesco, undated
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1142
("Set in the dense forests of the Kii Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, three sacred sites – Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan – linked by pilgrimage routes to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, reflect the fusion of Shinto, rooted in the ancient tradition of nature worship in Japan, and Buddhism, which was introduced from China and the Korean Peninsula. The sites (506.4 ha) and their surrounding forest landscape reflect a persistent and extraordinarily well-documented tradition of sacred mountains over 1,200 years. The area, with its abundance of streams, rivers and waterfalls, is still part of the living culture of Japan and is much visited for ritual purposes and hiking, with up to 15 million visitors annually. Each of the three sites contains shrines, some of which were founded as early as the 9th century")
(i) 霊場 and 参詣 are defined in (c).
(ii) Yoshino & Omine. Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau 田辺市熊野ツーリズムビューロー, undated
http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/world-heritage/yoshino-omine/
("The sacred site for Shugendo Yoshino and Omine 吉野・大峯 [修験道の聖地], which consists of steep mountains reaching altitudes of over 1,000m, is divided into two parts. North of Mt Aonegamine 青根ヶ峯 of the Omine Mountains 大峰山脈 [ie, 青根ヶ峯 is a peak within Omine mountain range], which is the water divide of the Kii Mountains, is called 'Yoshino 吉野' and south of it is called 'Omine 大峯.' * * * Shugendo, which put importance on mountain ascetic practices, calls walking through the mountains with hard practice 'Okugake 奥駈' or 'Mineiri 峯入' ")
(A) Both Mount Yoshino 吉野山 (located at 奈良県吉野郡吉野町; famous for cheryy blossoms) and 大峰山 are in 奈良県の南部.
(B) The 駈 is defined in (c),
(iii) Kumano Sanzan 熊野三山.
http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/world-heritage/kumano_sanzan/
("Kumano Sanzan is a term referring to a set of three Grand Shrines located in the southeastern part of the Kii Mountain Range: Kumano Hongu Taisha 熊野本宮大社, Kumano Hayatama Taisha 熊野速玉大社 and Kumano Nachi Taisha 熊野那智大社 [named after 那智山 amd 那智大滝 waterfall")
(A) In Japan, a shrine belongs to Shintō, whereas a temple, Buddhism.
(B) Tanabe, Wakayama  和歌山県 田辺市
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabe,_Wakayama
("Tanabe is on the coast and surrounded by mountains. Tanabe is the point at which the Kumano Kodō (熊野古道) ancient pilgrimage road turns inland from the coas")
(C) 熊野古道
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/熊野古道
(道は三重県、奈良県、和歌山県、大阪府に跨る; section 3 熊野古道の地図: routes of all colors)

(h) "Jynne Martin * * * first traveled there [Koyasan] 10 years ago and returned this past winter, staying at Shojoshin-in both times. * * *
(i) 高野山 別格本山 清浄心院  Shōjōshin-in
http://shojoshinin.jp/
(ii) 清浄心院 (Okunoin 奥の院 on its east) is about 0.2 mile northeast of 恵光院.
(iii) In Buddhism system of Japanese temples, each sect has 総本山>大本山＞別格本山＞本山 >>> 末寺.
(iv) 別格 and 総本山 are defined in (c).