What Is the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain?
The Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain (金剛峯寺浄水所, Kongōbu-ji Jōsuisho) is a white reinforced-concrete temizuya built in 1958 beside the Jabara-michi path to the Danjo Garan on Mount Koya in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 6, 2025.
A temizuya is the pavilion where worshippers rinse their hands and mouth before approaching the halls. Its Japanese name, Josuisho, can suggest a waterworks, but the Kongobuji Josuisho is a place of ritual purification. Like the Bell Tower, it was built as part of the projects for the ceremonies marking 1,150 years since Koyasan was founded.
It stands at the east end of the Danjo Garan, one of the first buildings you meet if you walk from Kongobuji along the Jabara-michi.
Why the Kongobuji Josuisho Was Registered
It was registered as a model of architectural form. Facing north from a podium that projects south from the path, it is three bays long and one bay deep, a reinforced-concrete Kirizuma-zukuri gable building with a copper roof laid over battens, and an area of 34 m².
All four sides are open, and a water basin sits at the center. There is no ceiling, so the rafters of the roof are left exposed. On three sides, all but the front, stand metal railings with straight lines that recall hanekoran, the out-turned railings of temple verandas.
Inside and out, everything is painted white. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it simple yet large and commanding, and Kongobuji notes that carefully placed ornament gives the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain a design worthy of the Danjo Garan.
Highlights of the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain
Walking along the Jabara-michi, you see a pure white gable appear between the trees and the vermilion halls. Among buildings in red and natural wood, a white one stands out.
Step inside and look up. Even the exposed rafters are painted white, so the lines of posts and beams read cleanly. The concrete frame is not hidden, yet it follows the same arrangement as a timber temizuya.
Notice the railings. The curved hanekoran of temple architecture has been translated into straight metal, a clear example of how a traditional form was simplified in the late 1950s.
Visiting the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain
The Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain stands at the east end of the Danjo Garan along the Jabara-michi, and anyone may use it. Pilgrims rinse their hands and mouth here before worshipping at the Garan.
The photography ban on the Danjo Garan covers the interiors of its halls, not the exterior of the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain.
From Kongobuji, walk west along the Jabara-michi to reach the Kongobuji Josuisho near the eastern entrance of the Garan.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Wakayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain (Josuisho)
- [ Koyasan & Kumano Kodo World Heritage Trails ]
Q&A
- What is the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain used for?
- It is a temizuya where visitors rinse their hands and mouth before worshipping at the Danjo Garan. It is not a waterworks.
- Where is the Kongobuji Josuisho?
- At the east end of the Danjo Garan, on the south side of the Jabara-michi path from Kongobuji.
- When was the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain built?
- In 1958, as part of the projects for the ceremonies marking 1,150 years since Koyasan was founded.
- When was the Kongobuji Josuisho registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 6, 2025.
- What are the features of the Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain?
- A reinforced-concrete gable pavilion open on all sides, with a central water basin, painted entirely white, and metal railings on three sides.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongobuji Temple Purification Fountain (Josuisho) |
|---|---|
| Location | 152-1 Honchuindani, Koyasan, Koya Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 6, 2025 (Reiwa 7) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Area 34 m² (reinforced concrete, copper roof) |
| Owner | Kongobuji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Open for use and viewing at all times |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongobuji Josuisho
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015496
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Council recommendation on registered buildings (March 21, 2025)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/pdf/94187801_01.pdf
- Kongobuji: Three Danjo Garan buildings to be registered (2025)
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/sp/news/2025/03/21/6824/
- Kongobuji: Places to see on Koyasan
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/meguru/
- Kongobuji: Admission fees
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/kongobuji/charges/
- Kongobuji: Visitor guidance
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/guidance/
Last verified: 2026.09.23
