Shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine)

“Food" is an important part of our travel experience.
Since you come to Mt. Koya, you may want to enjoy shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine).

Shojin ryori is a dish prepared with seasonal vegetables and legumes in accordance with Buddhist precepts.

Using only vegetables, making full use of "five methods: boiling, baking, steaming, frying, and raw", expressing "five colors: red, yellow, green, white, black", it delights you with "five flavors: sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and salty."

Building close relationship with farmers, learning about their vegetables, and carefully examining the best ingredients at that time, we offer you the finest seasonal lunch course.

Our lunch course also provides an opportunity to share the wisdom of those who have been dedicated（shojin）for years in various fields. Mt. Koya is surrounded by the beauties of nature（kachofugetsu）and embraced by the enlight of the teaching of esoteric Buddhism.

Indulge in yourself in the unforgettable lunch course, outstanding cooking techniques, elegant vessels, and other arrangements in the historic atmosphere of Nishimuroin.

Please　enjoy our exceptional shojin ryori using plenty of seasonal ingredients.

Flowers and vegetables germinate from small seeds and grow in the blessings of nature such as soil, water, and the sun. It takes a long time and effort to be served as a dish that pleases our eyes and tongues.

There is not much difference in the appearance oｆ vegetables,　however, they have different flavors and nutrients depending on where and how they were grown, and what kind of water and fertilizer they have absorbed.

Not to mention cooking techniques, it is essential to serve delicious and healthy dishes to select ingredients and build a good relationship with farmers.

Building close relationship with farmers, learning about the vegetables they grow, and carefully examining the best ingredients at that time, we offer you the finest seasonal lunch course.

Because shojin ryori (vegetarian cuisine) uses only vegetables, various cooking techniques have been developed.

The basics of shojin ryori apply to color, flavor, and cooking technique:
the goho (five cooking techniques) of boiling, baking, steaming, frying, and raw; the goshiki (five colors) of white, yellow, red, blue, and black; and the gomi (five flavors) of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and salty.

The most important element is to get every ingredients ready before we actually start cooking. It takes time and skill required.

One of the dishes unique to Koyasan's shojin ryori is “sesame tofu.”
Our sesame tofu is handmade, so of course it is delicious as it is, but we sometimes serve it as an ingredient in dishes.

There are many Japanese words starting with "utsu“; “utsuroi (transition)” "utsutsu (reality)", "utsukushii (beautiful)", etc.

The word "Utsuwa (vessel)" means not only a vessel but also is an expression of "kuu (emptiness)" or "utsu (reality). "
The two opposing meanings of the word are deeply connected to the Buddhist teachings of "色即是空, 空即是色 (Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.)"

It is said that what can be seen and touched is in a sense a temporary form, and the essence lies in the "kuu" without substance, in other words, it is because there is "emptiness" that the "color" with substance can be revealed.

In that sense, "Utsuwa" holds ideas that are the key for us to look at the essence of things and gain deeper insight into the world.

Many of Japanese temples hold vessels that passed down for years.
Rather than cherishing them, we believe that by having guests to see and touch them, we would be able to please them as well as to share with them the thoughts of craftsmen who made the vessels.

Various types of vessels are made all over Japan.
We hope that you will appreciate the appearance of the vessel in which the food is served, and after you finish eating, you will pick up each vessel carefully and enjoy the profound feeling of the Wajima lacquerware, the sense of wabi-sabi and warmth of the pottery, delicate blue color of celadon, or intricate color painting of the porcelain.