Visit Wakayama The Official
Wakayama Travel Guide

For millennia the mountainous region of Kumano has been thought to be the mythical “holy ground where gods dwell.” During the Heian period (794 - 1185), the Imperial household and court made the 30 to 40 day arduous journey from the ancient capital of Kyoto to this remote area, in search of heaven on earth. It is here that Kumano Sanzan, the three grand shrines and Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple, were established.

During the early days of the Heian period, the Kumano faith would filter down from the imperial family and aristocracy, spreading to the samurai warrior class, and beyond. So many people came, that the pilgrimage came to be known as the “march of the ants to Kumano.” The Kumano faith was unique in Japan because it was open to everyone regardless of class or sex, also welcoming the disabled. Today, there are about 3,000 Kumano Shrines in Japan.

The sacred sites collectively known as Kumano Sanzan, are Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine (Shingu), Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine and neighboring Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple (Nachi-Katsuura), and Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine (Tanabe). The region’s landscape and sacred sites, are often described as possessing mysterious auras. These characteristics are said to have been influenced by their differing origins, and worship practices around the natural world. Despite these differences, that also manifest architecturally, resolutely they continue to exist harmoniously with their environments, and leave visitors markedly impressed.

Kumano Sanzan combined the Shinto and Buddhist faiths into one, known as Shinbutsu-shugo (literally the convergence of Buddhism and Shinto). The notion that deities (kami) are present in all things on the earth is deeply embedded into Japanese culture from ancient times. White paper folded into the shape of lightning and hung at shrines delineate areas where kami are believed to preside. When Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century, Shinto deities were identified with the different forms of the Buddha, to create Shinbutsu-shugo.

Over the past ten centuries, people from all levels of society have journeyed to the tranquil Kii Mountains, following many pilgrimage routes to the revered Kumano Sanzan Shrines. The various paths are known collectively as the Kumano Kodo. The seven routes are the Nakahechi (the main route), Ohechi, Kohechi, Iseji, the Choishi-michi Route which links the sacred Shingon Buddhist Koyasan to the Kumano Shrines, and the Yoshino & Omine route, an isolated treacherous mountain trail reserved for ascetic practices by the Shugendo sect, and one recommended only for expert hikers. In 2004, the majority of these routes – excluding a modern route called the Kiiji – were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On July 7, 2004, the three sacred shrine sites, Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple, and the arterial pilgrimage routes, were designated as World Heritage Sites as the “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.” The site includes the Kumano Sanzan and Koyasan in Wakayama Prefecture, and Yoshino & Omine in Nara Prefecture. The UNESCO World Heritage Site designation states that these sites form a cultural landscape that reflect the fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism, and a persistent and well-documented tradition of sacred mountains maintained over 1200 years.

2018 is an important year for Wakayama Prefecture and the Province of Galicia in Spain. It marks the 20th anniversary of the sister pilgrimage agreement between the two regions in mutual recognition of their spiritual values. The world’s only two UNESCO World Heritage-listed pilgrimage routes—the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Routes and the Way of St. James—are located in the two areas, and over 20 years, the two regions have worked together to contribute to world peace through youth exchange programs and joint tourism promotion.