UNESCO · Cultural · 2004
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道きいさんちのれいじょうとさんけいみちKii-sanchi no Reijō to SankeimichiSacred mountains and the pilgrim roads between them
The Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range link three sacred places on the Kii Peninsula — Yoshino and Omine, the three grand shrines of Kumano, and the monastic centre of Koyasan — through centuries-old pilgrimage roads including the Kumano Kodo, across Wakayama, Nara and Mie prefectures. Inscribed in 2004, the property is a cultural landscape shaped by the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism.
Overview
The Kii Peninsula, south of Nara and Osaka, is a mass of steep, densely forested mountains descending to the Pacific. Since ancient times these mountains have been regarded as the dwelling of gods and, after the arrival of Buddhism, as an earthly Pure Land. Three sacred sites grew up in them: Yoshino and Omine in the north, centre of the ascetic mountain religion Shugendo; Kumano Sanzan in the south, the three grand shrines of Kumano; and Koyasan, the mountain monastery founded by Kukai for Shingon Buddhism.
Pilgrimage roads connected these places with the old capitals of Nara and Kyoto and with each other. From the 10th century onward retired emperors and aristocrats undertook the arduous journey to Kumano, followed by warriors and commoners in such numbers that the procession was likened to a line of ants. The routes include the Omine Okugakemichi, a Shugendo trail along the crest of the mountains between Yoshino and Kumano; the Kumano Sankeimichi, a network known as the Kumano Kodo; and the Koyasan Choishi-michi, marked by stone posts every 109 m.
The property is inscribed as a cultural landscape in which forests, rivers, waterfalls and rocks are themselves objects of worship. Shrines and temples remain active, and the routes are walked by pilgrims and hikers alike; a minor boundary modification in 2016 added further sections of the pilgrimage roads.
Why it is World Heritage
UNESCO recognised four criteria. The monuments and sites form a unique fusion of Shinto and Buddhism that illustrates the interchange and development of religious cultures in East Asia (criterion ii). The shrines and temples, with their associated rituals, bear exceptional testimony to the development of Japanese religious culture over more than a thousand years (criterion iii).
The sites created unique forms of shrine and temple architecture that influenced building throughout Japan (criterion iv). Together with the forested mountains and the routes, they form a cultural landscape that reflects a living tradition of sacred mountains, maintained over more than 1,200 years (criterion vi).
Component sites
- 吉野・大峯Yoshino, Ōmine
Centre of Shugendo, with Kinpusen-ji and its Zao-do hall of 1592 in Yoshino and Ominesan-ji on the summit of Sanjogatake; Yoshino is also famous for its tens of thousands of cherry trees.
- 熊野本宮大社Kumano Hongū Taisha
Head of the three Kumano shrines, in Tanabe. The shrine stood on the sandbank of Oyunohara until a flood in 1889, after which it was moved to higher ground; the old site, now marked by a huge torii, is part of the property.
Kumano Hayatama Taisha
熊野速玉大社Kumano Hayatama TaishaGrand shrine at the mouth of the Kumano River in Shingu; its sacred rock, Gotobiki-iwa on Mount Kamikura, is regarded as the place where the Kumano deities first descended.
Kumano Nachi Taisha, Seiganto-ji and Nachi Falls
熊野那智大社・青岸渡寺・那智大滝Kumano Nachi Taisha, Seiganto-ji, Nachi no ŌtakiShrine and temple side by side above the 133 m Nachi Falls, itself venerated as a deity, together with the primeval forest of Mount Nachi; the scene embodies the Shinto-Buddhist syncretism of Kumano.
- 高野山Kōyasan
Monastic town on a high basin founded by Kukai in 816, with Kongobu-ji, the Danjo Garan and the Okunoin cemetery, where Kukai is believed to remain in eternal meditation.
- 大峯奥駈道Ōmine Okugakemichi
The ascetic trail of Shugendo along the ridges of the Omine range from Yoshino to Kumano, crossing peaks near 1,900 m; still walked by yamabushi in training.
Kumano Sankeimichi (Kumano Kodo)
熊野参詣道Kumano SankeimichiPilgrim roads to Kumano: the Nakahechi across the mountains from Tanabe, the Kohechi from Koyasan, the coastal Ohechi and the Iseji from Ise along the east coast.
Koyasan Choishi-michi
高野山町石道Kōyasan Chōishi-michiPilgrim path of about 24 km from Jison-in at the foot of the mountain to Koyasan, marked by 180 stone posts at intervals of one cho (about 109 m).
History
816
Kukai receives permission from the court to found a monastery on Koyasan.
9th–10th c.
Shugendo develops around Yoshino and Omine; the three Kumano shrines come to be worshipped as a single group.
907
Retired Emperor Uda makes the first recorded imperial pilgrimage to Kumano.
11th–13th c.
Retired emperors including Shirakawa, Go-Shirakawa and Go-Toba travel to Kumano dozens of times.
1592
Completion of the present Zao-do of Kinpusen-ji in Yoshino.
1889
A flood destroys buildings of Kumano Hongu Taisha at Oyunohara; the shrine is rebuilt on higher ground.
2004
Inscription on the World Heritage List.
2016
Minor boundary modification adds further sections of the pilgrimage routes.
Visiting
- Koyasan is reached from Osaka by Nankai train and cable car; Yoshino by Kintetsu train from Osaka or Kyoto; the Kumano area by JR along the coast to Kii-Tanabe or Kii-Katsuura, then by bus.
- The Nakahechi route, the most walked part of the Kumano Kodo, takes several days from Takijiri to Kumano Hongu Taisha; guesthouses in the villages along the way can transport luggage.
- The Omine Okugakemichi is a demanding mountain route for experienced walkers. By religious tradition the summit of Sanjogatake (Mount Omine) remains closed to women, a practice that continues to be debated.
- Koyasan's temples offer shukubo, overnight stays with vegetarian Buddhist cuisine and morning prayers.
- Heavy rain is frequent in the Kii mountains; typhoons can damage trails, so route conditions should be checked with local tourism offices before walking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Kumano Kodo?
The Kumano Kodo is the network of pilgrimage routes leading to the three grand shrines of Kumano. It forms the Kumano Sankeimichi component of the World Heritage property.
Why are the Kumano Kodo and the Camino de Santiago linked?
Both are pilgrimage routes inscribed on the World Heritage List, and since 1998 Tanabe and Santiago de Compostela have cooperated as partner routes, with a joint recognition for pilgrims who walk both.
Can women climb Mount Omine?
Most of the property is open to all, but the summit area of Sanjogatake, the peak of Ominesan-ji, is closed to women by the tradition of Shugendo.
How long does it take to walk the Kumano Kodo?
The classic Nakahechi walk from Takijiri to Kumano Hongu Taisha is usually done in two to three days; continuing to Nachi and Hayatama adds more days.
What is Shugendo?
Shugendo is a Japanese religious tradition combining mountain worship, esoteric Buddhism and Shinto, whose practitioners, yamabushi, seek spiritual power through ascetic training in the mountains.
Related
Sources
- 1.Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- 2.日本の世界遺産一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
- 3.高野山真言宗 総本山金剛峯寺 (opens in a new tab) — 金剛峯寺
- 4.Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau (opens in a new tab) — 田辺市熊野ツーリズムビューロー