Cultural Assets－Other

At 1,125 meters, Mount Kongo is the highest peak in the Katsuragi mountain range. Mount Kongo, which was known as Mount Asahidake or Mount Takaowari in ancient times, inspired faith because it was said to enshrine Hoki Bosatsu, a five-eyed six-armed Buddhist deity and a protector of Shugendo practitioners. Counted among the seven great mountains of Shugendo, the mountain attracted ascetics from throughout Japan and flourished as a training site that barred women until the Meiji Period (1868 to 1912). Tenporin-ji Temple, whose honorific title is Kongosan (“Mount Kongo”) was founded by En no Gyoja following a long period of ascetic training on the mountain. The mountain’s current name is said to have entered into wide use after the temple attracted belief as a sacred site of Shingon esoteric Buddhism.