Mt. Yoryu

Mt. Yoryu (楊柳山, Yōryūsan, 1,009 m) is a mountain in Kōya, Wakayama Prefecture, and one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Kansai. Rising behind the Okunoin of Kōyasan, together with Mt. Tenjiku (915 m) and Mt. Mani (1,004 m) it forms the “Kōya Sanzan” (Three Mountains of Kōya), all long revered as sacred peaks guarding Kōyasan and visited by pilgrims. Mt. Yoryu is the highest of the three. The quiet circuit of all three peaks from the Okunoin is a beloved pilgrimage walk.
The trailhead is the Okunoin-mae bus stop (Nakanohashi), reached from Kōyasan Station by Nankai Rinkan Bus.

Mt. Yoryu is one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Kansai. To get there, take the Nankai Kōya Line to Gokurakubashi Station, ride the Nankai Kōyasan Cable Car up to Kōyasan Station, then take the Nankai Rinkan Bus (bound for Okunoin-mae) to Okunoin-mae (Nakanohashi), where the Kōya Sanzan circuit begins. Buses within Kōyasan are frequent and timed to the cable car, so the whole trip is feasible by public transport in a day.

*Timetable last checked: unverified

1. [Outbound] Gokurakubashi → cable car → Kōyasan Station → Okunoin-mae
2. [Hike] Okunoin-mae → Mt. Mani → Mt. Yoryu → Mt. Tenjiku (Kōya Sanzan circuit)
3. [Return] Okunoin-mae → Kōyasan Station → Gokurakubashi
4. Recommended plans & area info

1. [Outbound] Gokurakubashi → cable car → Kōyasan Station → Okunoin-mae

At Gokurakubashi, the terminus of the Nankai Kōya Line, change to the Nankai Kōyasan Cable Car and ride up to Kōyasan Station in about 5 minutes. From the station, take the Nankai Rinkan Bus bound for Okunoin-mae and get off at the terminus Okunoin-mae (via Nakanohashi). Kōyasan Station to Okunoin-mae takes about 28 minutes. Buses within Kōyasan connect with the cable car and run frequently (from early morning into the evening, around 70 services a day), so waits are short. Okunoin-mae / Nakanohashi is the start of the Kōya Sanzan circuit.

Reference: Yamakei Online — Mt. Yoryu

2. [Hike] Okunoin-mae → Mt. Mani → Mt. Yoryu → Mt. Tenjiku (Kōya Sanzan circuit)

From Okunoin-mae (Nakanohashi), walk the approach and join the trail beside the Okunoin. Climb Mt. Mani (1,004 m), pass Kotsugi Pass and reach the highest peak, Mt. Yoryu (1,009 m). Continuing over Mt. Tenjiku (915 m) and back to the Okunoin, the Kōya Sanzan circuit is about 8 km and takes around 3 hours 20 minutes. Starting from Kōyasan at about 800 m, the elevation gain is modest, and the route follows quiet ridges among cedar groves. Befitting a sacred mountain, signposts and stone Buddhas dot the way, making it accessible to beginner-to-intermediate hikers.

Reference: Yama-to-Kogen Map Web — Kōya Sanzan circuit

3. [Return] Okunoin-mae → Kōyasan Station → Gokurakubashi

After completing the circuit back at Okunoin-mae, take the Nankai Rinkan Bus to Kōyasan Station, the cable car down to Gokurakubashi, and the Nankai Kōya Line back toward Osaka. The buses and cable car are frequent, but services thin out after late afternoon, so allow time on your descent. If you have time, also visit the Okunoin and Danjō Garan and other sacred sites of Kōyasan.

Reference: Nankai Rinkan Bus

4. Recommended plans & area info

Day pilgrimage plan: Gokurakubashi → cable car → Kōyasan Station → bus to Okunoin-mae → Kōya Sanzan circuit (about 3 hours 20 minutes) → Okunoin-mae → cable car → Gokurakubashi.
Sightseeing combo: walk the three peaks in the morning and visit the Okunoin and Danjō Garan in the afternoon — enjoying both the religious culture of World Heritage Kōyasan and a quiet hike in one trip. The area is especially beautiful in fresh green and autumn foliage.

Relief map: GSI Japan