Today is release day for the newest Hiro Hattori mystery, TRIAL ON MOUNT KOYA! Every book I write becomes my new favorite, and this one is no exception. I consider KOYA my dual love letter to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (one of my favorite books, growing up) and one of Japan’s most sacred peaks.
Read moreKoya
Fudo Myo-o and the Fudo Hall (Koyasan Part 3)
Founded by the monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) during the 9th century, Danjo Garan continues to function as the heart of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism in Japan. While the entire kōya (mountaintop valley) is considered a single “temple,” the complex at Danjo Garan holds many important historical structures that still serve a role in modern Buddhist worship – including the Fudō-do, or Fudō Hall. (To read this series on Koya from the beginning, click here.) In Shingon Buddhist belief, Fudō Myō-ō is an incarnation of the Buddha and the leader of the wisdom kings. He protects the living and guides them toward enlightenment.
Read moreKōya, Part 2: A Walk to Danjo Garan
Danjo Garan, the primary temple complex on Kōya, sits about two blocks from the “main street” visitor center, shops, and restaurants. Although all of Kōya is considered a single temple complex, Danjo Garan acts as the beating heart of Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism. (To start this series on Kōya from the beginning, click here.)
Read moreA Visit to Koyasan, part 1: Up the Mountain!
Kōyasan, or Kōya, is a natural basin atop a mountain in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The shallow basin (called a kōya in Japanese) sits 800 meters above sea level, and is home to one of Japan’s most sacred temple complexes (also known as Kōyasan), as well as Japan’s largest cemetery, Okunoin. In the weeks that come, I hope you’ll join me for a virtual tour of Kōya and its various sites of interest. Today, we’re taking the journey up the mountain by cable car.
Read moreA Visit to Kongobuji, Part 2: The Dragon Garden
(To start the visit to Kongobuji from the beginning, click here.) After entering the main building of Kongobuji, visitors pass through the gold-doored ohiroma (sadly, no photos allowed) and along a hallway with wooden floors worn smooth by time and the passage of many feet. Like many Japanese temples, Kongobuji features gardens in every outdoor space, no matter how small.
Read moreStepping Back in Time at Ekoin
Today, I’m guest posting at Murder is Everywhere – and I hope you’ll click over and join me for a virtual night at Ekoin, a thousand year-old temple on Japan’s sacred Mount Kōya. It’s one of my favorite places in Japan, and I hope you like it too! Stepping Back a Thousand Years: A Night at Ekoin
Read moreThe Graves of Okunoin
Okunoin – “the temple at the end” is Japan’s largest cemetery. Sacred to the Shingon Buddhist sect (though non-Buddhists can be buried there, as long as they believe in the teachings of Kōbō Daishi), the cemetery has over 250,000 graves and monuments, the oldest of which date to at least the ninth century (if not before). The grave monument above dates to 1375, and marks the resting place of a Buddhist nun. According to legend, if you lay your ear to the stone, you can hear the screams of people suffering in hell. I admit, I did not try. While I’m not superstitious, there
Read moreKōyasan: The Heart of Shingon Buddhism in Japan
Yesterday, I returned to the summit of Kōyasan (Mount Kōya), one of Japan’s many sacred places (and the setting for my sixth Hiro Hattori Mystery, Trial on Mount Koya).
Read moreKobo Daishi – the Founder of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan
Like many of the world’s great religions, Buddhism has many sects. The Shingon or “True Word” school of Buddhism arose in Japan largely due to the efforts of a monk named Kūkai (774-835) – posthumously known as Kōbō Daishi.
Read more