Nokyodo and Kaisando 納経堂と開山堂

Official explanation

Nokyodo

The remains of Yamadera’s founder, the monk Ennin (794–864), are said to rest in a coffin—once encrusted with gold—beneath the Nokyodo, a small, red sutra hall perched on a cliff in the upper reaches of Yamadera. At Yamadera, monks copy sutras as part of their training. The copying process takes up to four years. Once they finish, they ritualistically place the sutras in the Nokyodo as an offering to Ennin. The original structure was repaired in 1987. It is an Important Prefectural Property, and one of Yamadera’s most iconic sights.

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Kaisando

The Kaisando is a hall next to the Nokyodo. The hall enshrines a wooden statue of the founder, to which monks make offerings of food and incense both morning and night. It is only open one day each year—January 14, the anniversary of Ennin’s death. On this day, a Buddhist memorial service is held in his honor. The current hall dates from the mid-1800s.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.