Danjo Garan- 壇上伽藍

816. Kobo Daishi (774-835) established his community and laid the foundations of a "sacred complex" that should remain with the Kongobuji, one of the principal religious sites in the city.

The complex has about twenty temples and buildings, including the Konpon Daito, "Great pagoda" rebuilt in the late 1930s and all freshly painted in vermilion. A symbolic construction, it would appear at the center of the lotus flower mandala formed by eight mountains around Koyasan. Between legend and cult, Konpon Daito houses the Dainichi Nyorai, cosmic Buddha, surrounded by four other Buddhas who assist him.

Kondo, the main pavilion which hosts major religious ceremonies, was built in 819 and was also rebuilt for the last time in the 1930s. A statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the doctor Buddha is revealed when the pavilion is open.

Among other wonders, the Miedo, "temple of portraits" once reserved for meditation of Kobo Daishi, often keeps its doors closed. A portrait of the founder monk sleeps, hidden amidst ten other works of his disciples. However, every March 21st, during the Kyusho Mieku festival , Kukai can be contemplated, admired.

South of Danjo Garan-the Reihokan Museum , built in 1921, hides thousands of treasures of the daily religious life of the city.