[1][2] Located on the outskirts of the settlement of Koya, the cemetery spans over 2 km (1.2 mi) in length and is immersed in a forest of tall conifers.

[3] According to popular belief, after being laid in his mausoleum in 835 AD, Kūkai entered into an eternal samadhi (meditative trance) and is still alive on Mount Kōya, waiting for Maitreya, the Buddha of the future.

From there, a 2-kilometer-long (1.2 mi) sandō (walkway) paved with cobblestones guides the visitors to the mausoleum, passing through a site that holds more than 200,000 graves, of which a large number belong to monks and feudal lords.

Over ten thousand lanterns, donated by pilgrims and worshippers, are lit in the hall in perpetuity;[7] two of these are said to have been burning without pause for more than 900 years.

Another monument from ShinMaywa Industries features a large-scale model of the Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo 11 to the Moon, although the company had no connection to the mission.