LIFE / OUR ARCHIVE
Special screenings and the INOCHI Exhibition at World Heritage Koyasan
Encounters with life, shared in many places.
Follow those moments through photographs and the words of the time.
Special Screening & INOCHI Exhibition: 1,250 Years Since Kobo Daishi’s Birth
Okuden, Kongobuji Head Temple / Koya, Wakayama
Held mainly on Saturdays and Sundays during the period.
Photographs and the original account ↓Special Starlight Screening on the Eve of Kobo Daishi’s Birthday, Koyasan
In front of the Konpon Daito, Danjo Garan / Koya, Wakayama
A starlight screening and singing, with a photographic record.
Photographs and the original account ↓Photographs, and words from that time.
World Heritage Site
Kongobuji, Head Temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism
Grand Dharma Assembly Commemorating the 1,250th Anniversary of the Birth of Founder Kobo Daishi
“LIFE® INOCHI Special Screening & INOCHI Exhibition”
Venue: Okuden, Kongobuji Temple — specially opened to the public
Held in the normally private Okuden, a special room surrounded by Banryutei, one of Japan’s largest rock gardens.
Organizer: Kongobuji, Head Temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism. Co-organizer: Feel&Sense, General Incorporated Association.
Supported by: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
Cooperation: Kochi University Design Research Institute
Kongobuji, Head Temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism
Kongobuji Temple
Head Temple Of The Koyasan Shingon Sect
Grand Dharma Assembly Commemorating the 1,250th Anniversary of the Birth of Founder Kobo Daishi
Koyasan in Wakayama Prefecture is a sacred place founded in 816 by Kobo Daishi Kukai, affectionately known as Odaishi-sama, as a center for spreading Shingon esoteric Buddhism in Japan and for monastic training. On March 21, 835, Odaishi-sama entered eternal meditation at Okunoin on Koyasan, where he continues to watch over and offer salvation to people.
The year 2023 marks the 1,250th anniversary of Odaishi-sama’s birth. For 57 days, from May 14 to July 9, centered on his birthday on June 15, Koyasan will hold a Grand Dharma Assembly commemorating the anniversary under the theme “Let Life Shine — Together with the Heart of Kobo Daishi.” As well as celebrating his birth, the assembly expresses the wish that today’s children will grow up healthy, strong, and wise, inspired by Odaishi-sama’s brilliance from childhood. In this memorable year, we have been given the opportunity to hold special screenings of “LIFE INOCHI” and the “INOCHI Exhibition.”
Here at the sacred site of Koyasan, together with the spirit of Kobo Daishi Kukai, we hope to let our lives shine as they reach into the future.
Special Program
In the normally private Okuden
Special screening of the art film “LIFE® INOCHI — Re-experience Birth” (25 minutes) and the INOCHI Exhibition
We will hold a special screening of the art film “LIFE® INOCHI — Re-experience Birth,” inviting inner awareness through an expansive experience of the connection between the universe and life, alongside the INOCHI Exhibition, an encounter with the mystery of life.
The venue is Kongobuji’s Okuden, a normally private special room at the heart of Banryutei, one of Japan’s largest rock gardens. “Banryu” means a dragon that remains hidden on Koyasan rather than ascending to heaven. The garden depicts a sea of clouds, with a male and female dragon appearing to protect the Okuden. On this occasion, the normally closed Okuden will be specially opened to the public.
We hope this occasion will offer a chance to rediscover the wonder of our lives and connect with their source. Please make the journey to Koyasan. We look forward to welcoming you.
Banryutei
Depicting two dragons, male and female
One of Japan’s largest rock gardens
Banryutei
The garden was created for the Grand Memorial Dharma Assembly marking 1,150 years since Kobo Daishi entered eternal meditation. Covering 2,340 square meters, it is one of Japan’s largest rock gardens.
Amid a sea of clouds, a pair of dragons face one another—the male on the left and the female on the right—as if protecting the Okuden.
The dragons are formed from granite from Shikoku, Odaishi-sama’s birthplace, while the Shirakawa sand representing the clouds comes from Kyoto.
Okuden
The normally private Okuden, a special room surrounded by Banryutei, will be opened especially for this event.
This building is the head temple’s guest chamber, built in 1934 for the 1,100th memorial anniversary of Kobo Daishi’s entry into eternal meditation. The site was originally home to Kozanji Temple, founded by Mokujiki Ogo Shonin. Before the Okuden and Betsuden were built, Koyasan University and its middle school stood here.
The fusuma paintings are a major work by artist Koyo Ishizaki, titled “Setsuzan Kashin,” depicting the Himalayas and Himalayan rhododendrons. Sadly, the artist died before completing the work. Some sliding doors, including those at the back of the Okuden, were never painted, and others remain unfinished. They became Koyo Ishizaki’s final work.
On this occasion, the Okuden will be specially opened for the “LIFE INOCHI Screening & INOCHI Exhibition.”
INOCHI Exhibition special page
A mystical art exhibition connecting us to the source of life
Dates
Sunday, May 14 – Sunday, July 9
Every Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–15:00
Free admission; Kongobuji Temple admission fee required
Session times
Morning: ① 10:00–10:45 ② 11:00–11:45
Afternoon: ③ 14:00–14:45 ④ 15:00–15:45
Capacity: 30 people per session. Registration closes when each session is full.
Inquiries
support@feelandsense.org
Please email us to change or cancel a reservation.
2023.6.14
The Eve of the Birthday of Founder Kobo Daishi Kukai
Special Event
“LIFE® INOCHI” Special Screening Under the Stars
In front of the Konpon Daito at the Garan
Danjo Garan
This was the first place Odaishi-sama began to develop when he founded Koyasan. Walking the land himself, he devoted himself to building pagodas and halls based on esoteric Buddhist thought. Danjo Garan is said to represent the world of the Womb Realm Mandala. If Koyasan as a whole is regarded as the temple of Kongobuji, this area forms the heart of its grounds. Since ancient times, it has been treasured as a center of faith alongside Okunoin, where Kobo Daishi entered eternal meditation. The order in which the halls are introduced follows the traditional Koyasan “Ryodan Nyodo” sequence. We recommend visiting them in the order presented.
Special event on the eve of the birthday of founder Kobo Daishi
“LIFE® INOCHI” Special Screening Under the Stars
2023.6.14
As a special event on the eve of Kobo Daishi’s birthday, we will hold a screening under the stars of “LIFE® INOCHI — Re-experience Birth” in the square in front of the Konpon Daito. We hope you will experience the connection between the universe and life beneath a sky filled with stars. We look forward to welcoming you.
Participants
薮 邦彦
Kongobuji, Head Temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism
Office of the Chief Administrator
Masahiko Hashimoto
Director of LIFE® INOCHI
Representative of Feel&Sense, General Incorporated Association
Date and time: Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 19:30–20:30
Venue: In front of the Konpon Daito at the Garan. Admission free.
In case of rain, the event will take place at Reimeikan, Koyasan University.
No registration is required for this event.
Program: LIFE® INOCHI special outdoor screening
Opening remarks: 藪 邦彦 / Head of the Koyasan Executive Office, Kongobuji Head Temple
Vocals: Masahiko Hashimoto / Director of LIFE® INOCHI
Organizer: Kongobuji, Head Temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism. Co-organizer: Feel&Sense, General Incorporated Association.
Supported by: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
Support the Koyasan Project
Toward well-being 10 and 100 years from now, so that we can live true to ourselves
This art project nurtures the power of life at Japan’s sacred sites, places rich in the wisdom of those who came before us, and creates new value in places people visit. It is a project to build and sustain together. We hope everyone will take part in whatever way they can—helping with installation, staffing, or sound, or offering financial support as a sponsor.
SPONSOR/COOPERATION
