Okunoin at night. Giant trees, ishidoro stone lanterns and sacred memorials line the path toward the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi.

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Okunoin (奥の院) is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan. Okunoin is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage spot. The Okunoin cemetery, the largest in Japan, with over 200,000 tombstones lining the almost two kilometer long approach to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. Wishing to be close to Kobo Daishi in death to receive salvation, many people, including prominent monks and feudal lords, have had their tombstones erected here over the centuries.

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Size: 4608px × 3456px
Location: Okunoin, Koyoasan, Wakayama, Japan
Photo credit: © John Steele / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ancient, asia, buddhism, buddhist, burial, cemetery, culture, east, faith, japan, japanese, koya, koya-san, koyasan, night, okunoin, pilgrim, pilgrimage, places, popular, religion, sacred, san, shingon, shrine, spot., statue, sugi, wakayama