Kinpusen-ji, on Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, is Shugendo's head sanctuary and, by tradition, was founded by En no Gyoja himself. Its Zao Hall, the second largest wooden structure in Japan after Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall, enshrines Zao Gongen, the fierce guardian deity said to have been revealed to En no Gyoja on the mountain. The temple heads Kinpusen Shugendo, one of Shugendo's three organised lineages alongside the Shingon affiliated Tozan-ha and the Tendai affiliated Honzan-ha, and is, with Ominesan-ji on Mount Omine, one of the tradition's two most important sites. Both were inscribed together in 2004 as part of the UNESCO Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.
Facts
Site
Type of SiteSourced to the subject's own accountSacred mountain, hill or peak 1 Type of Site DetailSourced to the subject's own accountHead sanctuary of Shugendo on Mount Yoshino, traditionally founded by En no Gyoja and heading the Kinpusen Shugendo lineage alongside the Shingon affiliated Tozan-ha and the Tendai affiliated Honzan-ha; its Zao Hall, the second largest wooden structure in Japan after Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall, enshrines the guardian deity Zao Gongen and was inscribed with Ominesan-ji in 2004 as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. 1 Status
Status TodaySourced to the subject's own accountLiving tradition, practised today 1 Current StatusSourced to the subject's own accountAn active temple and UNESCO World Heritage site, headquarters of the Kinpusen Shugen Honshu lineage. 1 Origins
RegionSourced to the subject's own accountYoshino, Nara Prefecture, Japan 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Belongs to Tradition
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