Reihōkan

Kii Peninsula


Several important artworks from Kōya-san's temples are collected here, most notably some Heian-era wooden sculptures of the Buddha and Fudō Myō-ō originally from Kongōbu-ji. Other works include scroll paintings depicting the life of Kōbō Daishi.

The museum is in the centre of town, near the Garan. The original wing, built in 1921, is Japan's oldest wooden museum, and without heating gets quite chilly in winter.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kii Peninsula attractions

1. Chūmon

0.14 MILES

This temple gate was renovated for Kōya-san's 1200th anniversary in 2015, after an 1843 fire. Two of the original statues of guardian kings enshrined in…

2. Kondō

0.15 MILES

The Garan's kondō is the temple's main hall and enshrines Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing. First constructed in the early 9th century,…

3. Konpon Daitō

0.16 MILES

The most interesting structure at the Garan is the Konpon Daitō, a 50m-tall, bright-vermilion pagoda seated at what is considered to be the centre of the…

4. Garan

0.17 MILES

The name of this temple, which is sometimes called Danjo Garan or Dai Garan, derives from the Sanskrit saṅghārāma, which means monastery. With eight…

5. Sai-tō

0.23 MILES

The Western Pagoda was most recently rebuilt in 1834.

6. Kongōbu-ji

0.26 MILES

This is the headquarters of the Shingon sect and the residence of Kōya-san's abbot. The main gate is the temple's oldest structure (1593); the present…

7. Tokugawa Mausoleum

0.43 MILES

These adjacent mausoleums were completed in 1643 at the behest of the third Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, for his grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and…

8. Ichi-no-hashi

0.84 MILES

This simple stone bridge marks the entrance to the sacred Oku-no-in complex.