What Is the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall?
The Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall (金剛峯寺山王院本殿, Kongōbu-ji San'nōin Honden) is a set of three Shinto shrine buildings at the western end of the Danjo Garan on Mount Koya in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture, rebuilt in 1522 and designated an Important Cultural Property on May 29, 1965. On Koyasan the shrines are known simply as the Miyashiro.
The first shrine honors the deity Nyu Myojin, the second Koya Myojin, and the third, the Sosha, gathers the Twelve Princes and 120 attendant deities. According to Kongobuji, in 819 Kukai (Kobo Daishi) invited the local guardian deities from the Amano shrine at the foot of the mountain and made them protectors of Koyasan. Tradition holds that the whole mountain had once belonged to Nyu Myojin.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls this the most important guardian shrine on Koyasan and dates the present buildings to the rebuilding after a fire in 1521. Its database gives 1522 for the Koya Myojin shrine and the Sosha, and about 1522 for the Nyu Myojin shrine.
Kongobuji's own guide, however, describes the shrines as rebuilt in 1594, a gap of more than 70 years. This article follows the Agency's records.
Why the Sannoin Main Hall Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency singles out the fine workmanship of the shrines rebuilt after the fire. As a result, three late Muromachi-period shrine buildings survive side by side within a Buddhist precinct.
The Nyu Myojin and Koya Myojin shrines are both single-bay Kasuga-zukuri buildings roofed in cypress bark. The prefectural description calls them unusually large for the type. Kasuga-style shrines one bay wide are usually modest structures, and building them at this scale is what sets the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall apart.
The Sosha is a three-bay Nagare-zukuri shrine of the misedana type, also roofed in cypress bark, so the third shrine deliberately departs from the form of the other two.
The torii gate and the openwork fence are protected as attachments. The prefecture notes that the wooden Myōjin torii and the Sukibei fence use new timber yet keep much of the original atmosphere.
What to Look for at the Sannoin Main Hall
Compare the roofs. The two Kasuga-style shrines present their gable ends to the front, while the Sosha, in the Nagare style, faces forward on its long side with the front slope of the roof sweeping far out. The bark roofing is the same, but the silhouettes are entirely different.
In front of the shrines stands the Sannoin, which serves as their worship hall. The name means a place for venerating the mountain's guardian deity as the Sanno. Kongobuji holds major ceremonies there, including the Rissei debates and the Mi-Saisho-ko, and on the 16th of each month a service is offered to the deities. Monks debating doctrine before the gods is a scene that sums up the faith of Koyasan.
Kongobuji explains that Kukai taught that the local gods revered and protected the Buddhist teaching, an idea that became a driving force behind the blending of Shinto and Buddhism (Shinbutsu-shūgō). Devotion to these guardian deities remains important to Koyasan's trainees, and the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall is at its center.
Visiting the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall
The Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall stands at the western end of the Danjo Garan, and you can see it from outside as you walk the precinct. No admission fee for it appears in Kongobuji's fee schedule.
Because an openwork fence surrounds the shrines, they are viewed across the fence. The shrine interiors are not open to the public.
Services are sometimes held in the Sannoin, so refrain from photographing in front of it or speaking loudly while they are under way. Kongobuji prohibits photography inside the Garan halls.
Q&A
- Which deities are enshrined at the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall?
- Nyu Myojin in the first shrine, Koya Myojin in the second, and the Twelve Princes and 120 attendant deities in the third shrine, the Sosha. They are the guardian deities of Koyasan.
- When was the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On May 29, 1965. The torii gate and openwork fence are protected along with it as attachments.
- When were the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall shrines built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates them to 1522, after a fire in 1521. Kongobuji's guide gives 1594, so the sources disagree.
- Is there a fee to see the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall?
- No fee for it appears in Kongobuji's fee schedule, and the exterior can be seen while walking the Danjo Garan. The shrine interiors are not open.
- What is the difference between the Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall and the Sannoin?
- The Sannoin Main Hall is the group of three shrine buildings, and the Sannoin is the worship hall in front of them, where ceremonies such as the Rissei debates are held.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall (Nyu Myojin Shrine, Koya Myojin Shrine, Sosha) |
|---|---|
| Location | Koyasan, Koya Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | May 29, 1965 |
| Quantity | 3 buildings |
| Dimensions | Nyu Myojin and Koya Myojin shrines: single-bay Kasuga style; Sosha: three-bay Nagare misedana style (all cypress-bark roofs) |
| Owner | Kongobuji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior open to view (shrine interiors closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall, Nyu Myojin Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2886
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall, Koya Myojin Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2887
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongobuji Temple Sannoin Main Hall, Sosha
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2888
- Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, Wakayama Cultural Properties: Sannoin Main Hall (Japanese)
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-spot-452/
- Kongobuji Temple: Highlights of Koyasan (Japanese)
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/meguru/
- Kongobuji Temple: Etiquette for Visitors (Japanese)
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/guidance/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
Cultural Treasures in the Same Area
All are within walking distance in the same area, so we recommend visiting them together.
- Kongobu-Ji Temple Sanno-in Main Hall Koya Myojin Shrine
- Kongobu-Ji Temple Sanno-in Main Hall Nyuumyo Shrine 0.01 km
- Kongobu-Ji Temple Sanno-in Main Hall Soja 0.03 km
