Nyonin-michi Trail

The Nyonin-michi, or 'women's pilgrimage route,' is a ring of trails following the wooded ridgelines that encircle the Koyasan basin. Its name and its very existence tell one of the most poignant stories on the mountain: for most of Koyasan's history, from its founding until 1872, women were forbidden from entering the sacred inner precincts. Unable to worship at the great temples, female pilgrims instead walked this encircling path, praying at halls set along the mountain's edge and gazing in toward the holy ground they could not reach.

Seven of these halls, the nyonindo, once stood at the passes leading into the town, offering women places of worship and rest. Today only one survives intact, the Nyonindo near the Fudozaka approach, and it remains the natural starting point for a walk on the route. From there the trail climbs onto the ridge and traces the rim of the basin, linking the sites of the old halls and passing through peaceful cedar and broadleaf forest, with periodic openings that give fine views down over the temple roofs and pagodas of Koyasan below.

The full circuit is a substantial half-day hike of several hours, with moderate ups and downs along the wooded ridges, but its great advantage is flexibility. Because the loop touches the town at several points and passes near landmarks such as the Daimon gate and the Bentendake peak, you can walk a single scenic segment and drop back into the centre whenever you wish. The section between the Nyonindo and the Daimon is a particular favourite, combining forest atmosphere, historical resonance and some of the best panoramas of the sacred plateau.

Walking here is quite different from visiting the temples in the valley. The ridge is quiet and lightly travelled, the forest deep and cool, and the sense of history intimate rather than monumental. Knowing that generations of women once climbed these same paths, shut out from the shrines just below yet no less devout, lends the walk a reflective, moving quality. Small stone markers, weathered statues and the surviving hall reward attentive walkers.

The route is at its most beautiful in autumn, when maples flare red and gold across the ridges and the cool air is perfect for walking, and again in the fresh green of early summer. As with all of Koyasan's trails, sturdy shoes, water and an eye on the daylight are sensible, since facilities on the ridge are minimal.

Inscribed within the UNESCO World Heritage sacred landscape of the Kii Mountains, the Nyonin-michi adds a human and social dimension to a visit that the temples alone do not convey. It is a reminder that the history of this holy mountain is also a history of who was allowed in and who was kept out, and walking it honours the faith of those who circled the sacred centre from beyond its gates. For anyone wanting to combine gentle hiking, forest scenery and a deeper understanding of Koyasan, it is a quietly essential experience.