Sanko no Matsu (Three-pointed Vajra Pine Tree) in the Grounds of Dai Garan, Kongobu-ji Temple Complex, Koyasan, Japan.
This tree is said to be the founding tree of Koyasan. As the founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect, Kobo Daishi departed from Tang China returning to Japan he is said to have thrown a three-pointed vajra, a Shingon Buddhist ritual item, towards Japan from the port of Mingzhou with the wish of find a suitable place to establish Shingon Buddhism. After he returned to Japan he searched for the vajra he had thrown and found it lodged in this tree. He then established Koyasan as the place to study Shingon Buddhism. Since then this pine tree has been called Sanko no Matsu or Three-pointed Vajra Pine Tree. Pine needles usually come in clusters ranging from two to five needles, but the needles from this tree are in clusters of three, like the three pointed vajra it is named after.
Size: 3747px × 5620px
Location: Kongobuji, 132 Koyasan, Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Photo credit: © GLC Pix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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