Japan (October 2016):
Kumano
On the
southeastern side of the Kii peninsula, Kumano is a
region centered around three major Shinto shrines located in Hongu, Shingu and Nachi: Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha (located in the town of Shingu),
and Kumano Nachi Taisha.
Together, these Three Grand Shrines form the Kumano Sanzan,
which for centuries has been a major goal for many pilgrims walking from as far
as Kyoto. The Kii peninsula used to be traversed by a
network of pilgrimage trails, referred to as Kumano Kodo
(″old ways of Kumano″), coming from the north and the west to reach
these three shrines. Several of these trails still exist today or have been
restored. Excellent maps are available at: http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/maps/
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Hongu.
Kumano Hongu Taisha, the head shrine of
more than 3,000 Kumano shrines throughout Japan.
- Entrance
gate at the bottom of the stairway leading to the shrine.
- The long
stairway of 158 stone steps.
- Fountain at
the entrance of the shrine.
- Worshipers
at the shrine.
- View of the
shrine.
- Secondary
shrine.
Kumano Hongu Taisha was originally
located at Oyunohara, a sandbank at the confluence of
the Kumano and Otonashi rivers. In 1889 many of the
shrine buildings were destroyed by a huge flood and the salvaged parts were
used to rebuild the shrine at its present site. In 2000 the largest Torii gate
in the world (33.9 meters) was erected to mark the entrance of the Oyunohara sacred area.
- The giant
Tori gate.
- Former
location of Kumano Hongu Taisha,
now a beautiful and peaceful park.
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Hongu and Yunomine Onsen
(hot spring) are connected by a 3.4km trail that is part of the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo
pilgrimage network.
- This trail
traverses beautiful forests.
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- Yunomine-oji. Oji‛s are subsidiary shrines of
the three Kumano Grand Shrines along the Kumano Kodo
trails. They protect and guide pilgrims, and serve as places of worship and
rest. Thanks to them and other small structures, the pilgrimage trails were
religious experience in themselves before reaching the three Kumano Grand
Shrines. Yunomine-oji is built on a small flat area
above the village of Yunomine Onsen.
- Yunomine Onsen is a small village
built in a narrow valley. Its hot springs were
discovered 1800 years ago and later used by pilgrims to perform purification
rituals before reaching the Kumano Grand Shrines. In the village, Tsuboyu is a small cabin where people can privately bath.
This unassuming cabin is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage.
Left: view of
the village. Center and right: the small Tsuboyu
cabin above the river.
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Entrance and
interior of the Tsuboyu cabin.
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People
cooking eggs and sweet potatoes in the hot water of the Yuzutsu
cooking basin below the Tsuboyu cabin.
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- The
pilgrimage trail (Nakahechi route) continues beyond Yunomine Onsen to eventually reach
the western side of the Kii peninsula. A relatively
short climb along this trail leads to views over the Kumano mountains
(left picture below) and an unusual signpost (right picture). The 57cm-high
signpost, known as the Akagi-goe Stone, bears a carved
finger pointing the way toward Yunomine Onsen. Another inscription indicates the name of its author
(Kahei) and the date of the making (1855).
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Hongu to Koguchi.
- A
pilgrimage trail used to connect Kumano Hongu Taisha to Kumano Nachi Taisha via Koguchi. This trail
still exists, but it starts from Ukegawa (5km
south-east of Hongu) along the road connecting Hongu to Shingu. The section
between Ukegawa and Koguchi
is 13km long.
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- One of the most poisonous types of
mushroom in Japan (podostroma cornu-damae)
growing on the side of the trail.
- View over Kumano mountains
from Hyakken-gura lookout.
- Jizo at the Hyakken-gura lookout.
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- Sai-no-Kawara
Jizo. A sign posted near this statue reads as
follows:
Jizo is a Bodhisattva, a
being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save
others, and the protector of children and travelers. Sai-no-Kawara
is the riverbank of purgatory of the mythical Sanzu-no-Kawa
river, which separates this world from the after
world. All souls must cross this river on their way to the afterlife. Young
children have not accumulated enough karmic merit to pass on their own, so they
pray for salvation by stacking pebbles. But their stacks are constantly washed
away by evil demons. Jizo rescues these children by
transporting them across the river in the sleeves of his robe.
- ″Poem monuments″ along the
trail.
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- Left and center: small shrine (perhaps
an oji) on a small platform overlooking the Koguchigawa river. Right: another
statue of Jizo.
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- View over the Koguchigawa
river, near the small village of Koguchi.
- The Koguchigawa river at the end of the trail.
- View of a mountain peak near Koguchigawa river.
Shingu.
Shingu is a city on the east coast of the Kii peninsula located at the mouth of the Kumanogawa river. It is home of
two major shrines, the Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kamikura-jinja.
Pilgrims coming from Hongu were reaching these
shrines either on foot or by boat on the river.
Kumano Hayatama
Taisha.
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Kamikura-jinja.
This smaller shrine is located on the
side of Mount Gongen, which is regarded as the sacred
mountain from which Kumano gods descended. The shrine sits at the base of a
massive rock, Gotobiki-Iwa, itself revered as a
deity. Reaching Kamikura-jinja requires ascending a
steep and slippery stairway made of uneven natural stones.
- Small shrine at the base of the
stairway, perhaps for worshipers who are unable to do the ascent.
- The lower part of the stairway.
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- Reaching the entrance of the shrine.
- The shrine and its rock.
- View over Shingu
from the shrine.
Nachi.
Kumano Nachi Taisha is one of the three Shinto Kumano Grand
Shrines, situated a few kilometers inland from the coastal town of Kii-Katsuura. The shrine is part of a larger
complex made of several religious structures that combine Shinto and Buddhist
influences. The site also boasts the tallest waterfall in Japan with single
drop, Nachi no Taki (133m).
Daimon-zaka is an ancient 600m stairway bordered by
large cedar trees that runs from the valley of the Nachigawa
river up to the base of the Kumano Nashi Taisha complex.
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Tori gate marking the entrance of Kumano
Nashi Taisha.
Kumano Nashi Taisha.
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The old Buddhist Nachisan
Seiganto-ji temple, located behind Kumano Nashi Taisha, is dedicated to Nyorin
Kannon whose statue stands on the left of the entrance. It is one of the few shrine
temples still in existence that survived the separation of Shinto and Buddhism
during the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912).
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Statue of Jizo
helping a child to cross the Sanzu-no-Kawa river
to reach the after world. This statue
is located near the Nachisan Seiganto-ji
temple.
Sanjudo pagoda and Nachi
waterfall.
Other views of the Nachi
waterfall.
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Kii-Katsura.
Kii-Katsura is a small quiet town south of Shingu, but an important tuna fishing port. Not only is it
a good base to visit Kumano Nachi Taisha.
It also has some interesting attractions of its own: a gorgeous coastline, a
bustling fish market, and excellent restaurants offering many types of
tuna-based dishes.
The main street between the train
station and the port on a sunny morning. It rarely becomes much busier than this.
The port.
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The fish market is the 5th largest in
Japan. In addition to yellow-fin tuna and swordfish, sharks, sunfish, and other
species are auctioned.
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The seashore. (The Nachi
waterfall is visible in the second picture.)