Konpon Daito In Koyasan Editorial Image

Konpon Daito: Kobo Daishi and his successor Shinzen Daitoku devoted themselves to the construction of this pagoda, which took from 816 through 887. Kobo Daishi referred to this pagoda as a representation of the universe, and, as it played a role as the central training dojo for the Shingon Sect, it was called the Konpon principal Daito. This is believed to be Japan’s first square two-storied pagoda. It enshrines an image of Vairocana in the womb real and is surrounded by four Buddhist figures from the Diamond Realm. The sixteen pillars that support it are inscribed with images of sixteen boddhisatvas, drawn by Insho Domoto. Images of the eight patriarchs who spread the teachings of esoteric Buddhism can be found in the four corners of the interior, with the inside of the pagoda itself forming a mandala.