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Bring the Nature of Koyasan Into Your Home A handcrafted experience – perfect as a memorable gift
Handcraft Experiences Using the Trees of Koyasan
Take home a touch of Koyasan serene atmosphere with a handcrafted keepsake made from the trees that have nurtured its refreshing air for centuries — or present it as a heartfelt gift to someone dear.
Using the Six Sacred Trees of Koya — Japanese cedar, cypress, koyamaki (Japanese umbrella pine), fir, hemlock, and red pine — each piece is a one‑of‑a‑kind treasure, reflecting nature’s grace and Koyasan heritage.
Take part in our short craft activities, perfect for adding a creative touch to your journey between visits on Koyasan.
Information
plan1. Aroma Room Spray
Craft a room spray with pure essential oils, carefully extracted from thinned wood and foliage gathered during forest care in Koyasan. Blend your own aroma using essential oils from cedar, cypress, and koyamaki surrounding Okunoin and Koyasan. Its fragrance carries you back to Koyasan’s gentle air, whispering breeze, and tranquil sounds.
Duration: Approx. 15 minutes
Duration: Approx. 15 minutes
plan2. Plant Dyeing ("Tenugui" hand towel / Eco bag)
Discover the natural beauty of the Six Sacred Trees cherished for centuries on Koyasan. Using plants such as the beloved Koyamaki, often seen as offering flowers, you’ll dye fabric in gentle, earthy tones.
Tie sections of the cloth with rubber bands to create unique patterns—each piece becomes a one-of-a-kind treasure.
Make your own hand-dyed tenugui or eco bag as a special keepsake from your journey to Koyasan.
Duration: Approx. 30–45 minutes
Tie sections of the cloth with rubber bands to create unique patterns—each piece becomes a one-of-a-kind treasure.
Make your own hand-dyed tenugui or eco bag as a special keepsake from your journey to Koyasan.
Duration: Approx. 30–45 minutes
plan3. Accessory Making with the Woods of Koyasan
Accessory Making with the Woods of Koyasan
Accessory Making with the Woods of Koyasan
Accessory Making with the Woods of Koyasan
plan4. Moss Terrarium
Using moss gathered from the forests of Koyasan, create a miniature world of nature inside a glass container.
Combine different types of moss with sand and pebbles to recreate the serene beauty of Koya’s woodlands.
Bring home a small piece of Koyasan’s nature — a charming object that brings a sense of peace to your room.
* Please note that due to regulations, participants living overseas cannot take moss terrariums home.
Combine different types of moss with sand and pebbles to recreate the serene beauty of Koya’s woodlands.
Bring home a small piece of Koyasan’s nature — a charming object that brings a sense of peace to your room.
* Please note that due to regulations, participants living overseas cannot take moss terrariums home.
The Six Sacred Trees of Koya
Koyasan – A spiritual sanctuary embraced by lush forests
Koyasan offers majestic cedar avenues leading to the Okunoin, and a temple town embraced by forests where the everyday fades away.
Surprisingly, when Kobo Daishi Kukai founded Koyasan in 816 as a sanctuary for Shingon practice, its mountaintop plain was little more than a marsh with scattered trees. Over the centuries, repeated fires devastated the temples, forcing large-scale logging for temple reconstruction and leaving the landscape barren.
However, thanks to Priest Shinshin’s efforts, the surrounding forests were restored through replanting, mainly with cypress saplings. In times of fires, strict rules developed—never felling all trees from the same area, and planting species suitable for construction—to ensure the forest’s rebirth.
The "Koya Rikuboku System" established in 1813, prohibited logging except for the repair of temples, and cultivated six tree species for construction: cedar, cypress, Japanese umbrella-pine, fir, hemlock, and red pine. These measures preserved a rich forest environment that continues to this day.
Though the forest has evolved in appearance over the centuries—especially after post-war degradation—it has been restored through sustained care. These woodlands are a living legacy, passed down by the devoted hands of generations. As guardians of this heritage, it is now our turn to protect and pass it on to those who will come after us.
Koyasan offers majestic cedar avenues leading to the Okunoin, and a temple town embraced by forests where the everyday fades away.
Surprisingly, when Kobo Daishi Kukai founded Koyasan in 816 as a sanctuary for Shingon practice, its mountaintop plain was little more than a marsh with scattered trees. Over the centuries, repeated fires devastated the temples, forcing large-scale logging for temple reconstruction and leaving the landscape barren.
However, thanks to Priest Shinshin’s efforts, the surrounding forests were restored through replanting, mainly with cypress saplings. In times of fires, strict rules developed—never felling all trees from the same area, and planting species suitable for construction—to ensure the forest’s rebirth.
The "Koya Rikuboku System" established in 1813, prohibited logging except for the repair of temples, and cultivated six tree species for construction: cedar, cypress, Japanese umbrella-pine, fir, hemlock, and red pine. These measures preserved a rich forest environment that continues to this day.
Though the forest has evolved in appearance over the centuries—especially after post-war degradation—it has been restored through sustained care. These woodlands are a living legacy, passed down by the devoted hands of generations. As guardians of this heritage, it is now our turn to protect and pass it on to those who will come after us.
KOYA Green Workshop
Beyond its spiritual, historical, and cultural treasures, Koyasan is blessed with rich natural beauty, safeguarded by the spirit of "Kyori Gunjo"—one of Kobo Daishi Kukai’s teachings. "Kyori Gunjo" embodies the belief that all living things are equal and precious, and that through mutual support, all may prosper together.
We founded KOYA Green Workshop inside KOYASAN BASE (formerly the Central Information Center of the Koyasan Temple Lodging Association) with the desire to share the rich natural beauty of Koyasan, inviting visitors from across Japan and around the world to discover its new charms. Here, guests can enjoy craft experiences using materials related to Koyasan. The workshop is operated by the Koyasan Temple Forest Cooperative.
Across Japan, many forests are in decline; as forestry wanes, they are left without care or use, slowly losing their vitality. Thoughtful use of forest resources enhances their value and helps build a future of sustainable forestry. In the Edo era, six types of trees were reserved for temple building and protected from other felling （"Koya Rikuboku System"). While intended to secure timber resources, the policy also encouraged forestry that nurtured diverse wildlife.
KOYA Green Workshop prioritizes unusable timber—thinning residues and pruned branches—so we can reduce waste, aid the forest’s natural cycle, and preserve habitats for many species into the future.
Part of the workshop’s revenue helps sustain the Koya Rikuboku System.
We founded KOYA Green Workshop inside KOYASAN BASE (formerly the Central Information Center of the Koyasan Temple Lodging Association) with the desire to share the rich natural beauty of Koyasan, inviting visitors from across Japan and around the world to discover its new charms. Here, guests can enjoy craft experiences using materials related to Koyasan. The workshop is operated by the Koyasan Temple Forest Cooperative.
Across Japan, many forests are in decline; as forestry wanes, they are left without care or use, slowly losing their vitality. Thoughtful use of forest resources enhances their value and helps build a future of sustainable forestry. In the Edo era, six types of trees were reserved for temple building and protected from other felling （"Koya Rikuboku System"). While intended to secure timber resources, the policy also encouraged forestry that nurtured diverse wildlife.
KOYA Green Workshop prioritizes unusable timber—thinning residues and pruned branches—so we can reduce waste, aid the forest’s natural cycle, and preserve habitats for many species into the future.
Part of the workshop’s revenue helps sustain the Koya Rikuboku System.