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Jison-in → Niukanshofu Shrine → Negoro-ji → Koyasan Okunoin → Shojin Ramen at Yokatensho♥

2025年7月5日 19:31

Wakayama 10 Path of Purity Jison-in

Koyasan Shingon Buddhism. Founded by Kobo Daishi Kukai, this temple serves as the starting point of the main pilgrimage path to Koyasan.
Because his mother, Tamayori-gozen, could not climb Koyasan and lived here, it became known as "Women's Koyasan," a place of prayer for women.
The name "Kudoyama" comes from the fact that the Daishi would descend the mountain nine times a month to visit his mother.
👶

The reason it is famous as the Breast TempleDue to the faith in his mother, Tamayori-gozen,
prayers for breast milk, safe childbirth, fertility, and healing from breast cancerand so on,it is widely worshipped as a place of prayer for women.Breast-shaped votive tablets and offerings are rare in the country and create an overwhelming space of faith.
🙏

Principal ImageMaitreya Bodhisattva (Important Cultural Property)🛕 Benefits
Fertility, safe childbirth, breast milk prayers
Healing from illness (especially diseases specific to women)
Family safety, physical health
Warding off evil, fulfillment of wishes
Worshipped nationwide as a place of prayer for successful child-rearing and protection of women

This is the Kurikara sword right after entering the entrance.
This also serves as the purification fountain.

This one is an A-cup.
Yes, please write your wish.

That's the treasure pagoda.
You can enter the main hall from the side of this.
If you go straight and climb the stairs, you can reach Niukanshofu Shrine.

This is the main hall.
It's behind the place where you get your Goshuin, so it's hard to find.

When Kobo Daishi Kukai was trying to clear a rugged path to found Koyasan, it is said that a deity called "Kariba Myojin" sent two dogs, one white and one black.
Those two dogs guided Kukai from Niu Tsuhime Shrine to the site of Koyasan Okunoin.
It is said that one of them was a black dog named "Gon"🐾 This Gon served the Daishi deeply, especially from around Jison-in, and it is said that he was always by his side, accompanying him like a bodyguard.

📍Location
835 Jison-in, Kudoyama-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama Prefecture
(About a 15-minute walk from Kudoyama Station on the Nankai Koya Line)
⏰ Visiting Hours
8:30-17:00 (Open all year round)
🅿️ Parking
Available (motorcycles also allowed)
Free space for worshippers available. Be careful as the road is narrow.
(This time, I parked at the roadside station and walked)

Wakayama 11 Path of Purity Niukanshofu Shrine

This shrine enshrines Niu Tsuhime no Okami, the deity Kobo Daishi Kukai met when he was opening Koyasan.
It was once a "government shrine" managed by the state, and because it was a prestigious shrine that received an official decree (kanpu) from the Imperial Court, it was named "Kanshofu Shrine."

This shrine is located on a hill up the stone steps behind Jison-in,
and those stone steps also have an important meaning as the "beginning of the women's path."
When Kukai was looking for the land for Koyasan,
there is a legend that when he crossed the Kino River and came to this area, Niu Tsuhime no Okami transformed and sent divine dogs (white and black dogs). Guided by those divine dogs, Kukai found Koyasan,
and since then, this area has been cherished as the "birthplace of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism."

🙏 Deities
・Niu Tsuhime no Okami... Goddess of water / Goddess of matchmaking
・Takano Miko no Okami... Perhaps the deification of the divine dog that guided Kobo Daishi...
🪔 Benefits
Matchmaking
Warding off evil
Blessings related to water
Travel safety / Guidance
⛩ Especially as a "deity that guides the path," many people visit this shrine for pilgrimages and milestones in life.

Found a Chinowa (grass ring)...
It's small🤣

I was allowed to peek inside.
I'll use the Hifumi Norito here...

You can get a goshuin (temple seal) here.
Overall, it's a rather small shrine, but you can actually hike to Koyasan from the side of it.
However... it takes several hours, so I'll go by motorcycle😅

This is the goshuin.
The one next to it is a bell I received from the head priest😁

📍Location
835 Jison-in, Kudoyama-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama Prefecture
(After climbing the stone steps of Jison-in / 15-20 minutes walk from Kudoyama Station on the Nankai Koya Line)⏰ Visiting Hours
Open for visits (Shrine office is generally open from around 9:00 to 16:30)
💴 Admission Fee
Free
🅿️ Parking
Use the Jison-in parking lot (motorcycles are also OK)

Wakayama 9: Path of Purity, Negoro-ji Temple

Sect: Head Temple of the Shingi Shingon Sect
A temple founded by the monk Kakuban Shonin, who was active in the Muromachi period, after he separated from Koyasan.
It is the head temple of the "Shingi Shingon Sect" derived from Koyasan, and is also known as the place that built the "Negoro-shu," a major Buddhist city equipped with training, scholarship, and military power.
Negoro-ji is actually a "base for warrior monks," too.
It was protected by a group called the "Negoro-shu" who once even possessed firearms.
They are portrayed as villains in Futaro Yamada's novels🥲
🙏 Principal Image
Yakushi Nyorai (Main Hall: Daitobo Hall)
Dainichi Nyorai
🛕 Benefits
Healing of illnesses (Yakushi Nyorai)
Academic achievement
Warding off evil
Prayers for cutting ties and making a fresh start are also secretly popular

There are stairs after crossing the bridge, but it's not much.

This is the main hall.
You can enter from the right side.
Let's chant the Komyo Shingon here.

From the main hall, you can proceed to the Gyojado Hall and the Daishokankiten Hall.

This is the Gyojado Hall.
I'm excited because Benten-sama was there🥰

This feels like the main gate.
It is a bell tower gate.

As you proceed, you can see the main hall.

This is the goshuin.
The Dainichi Nyorai is wonderful.

Extra 1: Koyasan Okunoin

This is the washbasin, located next to the entrance.

Let's greet the Great Master.
Dharma talks are sometimes held here.

I'll have some tea.
It's free, but surprisingly many people don't know that.

Here, we pour water over the Buddha to pray.

Yes, photography is prohibited from here on.

Extra No. 2: Fubukiyama Benzaiten-in Temple

An old shrine mentioned in the Genroku-era 'Kii Zoku Fudoki' (Sequel to the Kii Province Topography).
⛰ There is a silence like a barrier standing alone in the desolate landscape along the road, but it's so small and hard to enter... 😓
When driving along the road, you can see a large Benzaiten statue, but I didn't know how to get there 🥲
However, I managed to make it this time 🥰
🛕 Benefits (Summary from history)
Arts and music, good fortune and wealth, matchmaking, warding off evil, traffic safety, and fulfillment of wishes

Once you pass through the torii gate, you'll see Benzaiten-sama right away ❤️
There are no goshuin or amulets for sale here, but there was a restroom 😅

Standing in front of it, its size really stands out.

Beside it was the Kofuku Jizo-sama (Happiness Jizo).

Extra No. 3: Shojin Ramen at Yokatten

Yes, the Shojin Ramen at Yokatten, a treat at Koyasan.

The ramen comes with eggplant, almond tofu, pickles, and rice.

Condiments are also included to change the flavor.

It's packed with mountain vegetables and mushrooms, very filling, and only 1100 yen 😳
Highly recommended!

This is the Shojin Tomato Ramen I had last time

When I talked to the owner...
"I know it would be delicious if I added cheese, but...
it's Shojin Ramen, so I don't add it."
And yet, the deliciousness...
It's the best!
It brings tears to my eyes...
🍵 Yokaten

📍Location
Along the main street of Koyasan (bus route),
Address: 723 Koyasan, Koya-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama Prefecture

⏰ Business Hours
Business hours: 9:00–16:00 (Cafe)
Shojin Ramen is a lunch menu item, so it's available from around 11:00.

🍜 Menu & Popular Shojin Ramen

Shojin Ramen Set:
- The broth is based on kombu and vegetables, soy sauce-based with no animal products for a mellow soup
- Toppings include plenty of vegetables like mushrooms (king oyster mushrooms), eggplant, komatsuna, and menma
- Comes with a small side dish & pickles, rice, and warabi mochi (or almond tofu) for a satisfying meal
Shojin Tomato Ramen:
With a cafe-style twist, you can even enjoy the soup like a rice porridge 🤭