National Parks · Nara, Wakayama, Mie
Yoshino-Kumano National Park
吉野熊野国立公園よしのくまのこくりつこうえんYoshino-Kumano Kokuritsu KōenMountains of the ascetics, shrines of Kumano, the warm Pacific shore
Yoshino-Kumano National Park stretches across the Kii Peninsula from the cherry-covered slopes of Yoshino and the Ōmine range to the Pacific coast at Kumano and Kushimoto. Designated in 1936, it contains much of the World Heritage pilgrimage landscape of the Kii Mountains.
Overview
Yoshino-Kumano National Park covers the rugged interior and southern shore of the Kii Peninsula, the largest peninsula in Japan. Its mountain half follows the Ōmine range from Yoshino southwards and includes Ōdaigahara, one of the wettest places in the country; its river half follows the Kitayama and Kumano rivers through deep gorges; and its coastal half runs from Kumano in Mie past Nachi and Katsuura to Cape Shiono, the southernmost point of Honshu.
Few Japanese landscapes are so charged with religion. For over a thousand years the Ōmine range has been the training ground of Shugendō mountain ascetics, and the three grand shrines of Kumano drew emperors, aristocrats and commoners along the Kumano Kodō pilgrimage paths. Much of this sacred geography was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
Designated on 1 February 1936 in the second group of Japanese national parks, Yoshino-Kumano thus combines high forest, wild rivers and a subtropical-looking coast with coral communities off Kushimoto.
Landscape and formation
The Kii Mountains are built of accretionary complexes, slices of ocean floor scraped onto the edge of Japan by the subducting Philippine Sea Plate, later intruded and capped by volcanic rocks of the Kumano acidic igneous group around 15 million years ago. Rapid uplift and some of Japan's highest rainfall carved steep, V-shaped valleys.
The volcanic rocks explain many of the park's landmarks: the columns of the Hashikui-iwa, the cliffs of Onigajō and the 133 m drop of Nachi Falls. Inland, the Kitayama River has cut the Dorokyō gorge, while Ōdaigahara is a raised, gently rolling plateau fringed by precipices such as Daijagura. Offshore, the warm Kuroshio Current allows reef-building corals to grow at an unusually high latitude.
Highlights
- 大峰山脈Ōmine Sanmyaku
The spine of the park, with Hakkyō-ga-take (1,915 m), the highest peak in the Kansai region, and the sacred Sanjō-ga-take.
Ōdaigahara
大台ヶ原ŌdaigaharaA misty plateau of spruce and beech forest with the cliff Daijagura; famous for its extreme annual rainfall.
- 吉野山Yoshinoyama
A ridge planted over centuries with tens of thousands of mountain cherries, blooming in successive belts from bottom to top.
- 那智の滝Nachi no Taki
Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall at 133 m, worshipped as a deity by Kumano Nachi Taisha.
Dorokyō
瀞峡DorokyōA gorge of the Kitayama River on the border of three prefectures, with calm green pools between sheer rock walls.
Hashikui-iwa
橋杭岩Hashikui-iwaA line of some forty rock pillars off Kushimoto, eroded from a volcanic dyke.
Onigajō
鬼ヶ城OnigajōSea caves and honeycomb-weathered cliffs of tuff at Kumano in Mie.
Nature
Ecology
The park spans a vertical range from warm coastal forest to subalpine conifers. Ōdaigahara and the Ōmine ridges carry beech, Japanese hemlock and Yezo spruce, but heavy browsing by sika deer has turned parts of the spruce forest into grassland, prompting fencing and replanting. On the coast, the Kushimoto waters hold some of the world's northernmost large table-coral communities and were listed as a Ramsar wetland in 2005.
Flora
Yezo spruce (Ōdaigahara)
トウヒtōhiThe spruce forest of eastern Ōdaigahara, an isolated southern outpost of this subalpine tree.
Siebold's beech
ブナbunaThe dominant broadleaf tree of the upper Ōmine slopes.
Mountain cherry
ヤマザクラyamazakuraThe wild cherry of Yoshino, planted as a sacred offering to the deity Zaō Gongen.
Table coral
テーブルサンゴtēburu sangoLarge colonies of Acropora off Kushimoto, sustained by the warm Kuroshio.
Fauna
Japanese serow
ニホンカモシカNihon kamoshikaA goat-antelope and special natural monument of Japan, living on the steep forested slopes.
Asiatic black bear
ツキノワグマtsukinowagumaThe Kii Peninsula population is small and isolated, and is treated as threatened.
Sika deer
ニホンジカNihon jikaAbundant on Ōdaigahara, where their browsing reshapes the forest.
Loggerhead turtle
アカウミガメakaumigameNests in early summer on the long gravel-and-sand beaches of the Kumano coast.
Culture
The Kii Mountains were long imagined as a Pure Land on earth. Shugendō, founded according to tradition by En no Gyōja in the late 7th century, fused mountain worship with esoteric Buddhism, and its practitioners still walk the Ōmine Okugake route between Yoshino and Kumano. Sanjō-ga-take, with Ōminesan-ji at its summit, remains closed to women by religious tradition.
The three grand shrines of Kumano – Hongū, Hayatama and Nachi – became the goal of the Kumano pilgrimage, undertaken dozens of times by retired emperors in the Heian and Kamakura periods and later by commoners in such numbers that it was likened to a procession of ants. Yoshino, for its part, sheltered Emperor Go-Daigo's Southern Court in the 14th century and has been Japan's most celebrated cherry mountain since classical poetry.
Kumano Hongū Taisha
熊野本宮大社Kumano Hongū TaishaHead shrine of Kumano; the original site on the river flat of Ōyunohara is marked by a vast torii.
Kumano Nachi Taisha and Seiganto-ji
熊野那智大社Kumano Nachi TaishaShrine and temple side by side above Nachi Falls, a surviving picture of Shintō–Buddhist syncretism.
Kinpusen-ji
金峯山寺Kinpusen-jiHead temple of Shugendō in Yoshino; its Zaō-dō is one of the largest wooden halls in Japan.
Ōminesan-ji
大峯山寺Ōminesan-jiTemple on the summit of Sanjō-ga-take, open to pilgrims in the summer months.
Tsuboyu
つぼ湯TsuboyuA tiny riverside bath at Yunomine Onsen used by pilgrims for purification and part of the World Heritage property.
History
late 7th century
En no Gyōja is said to open the Ōmine range as a place of ascetic practice.
1090
Retired Emperor Shirakawa makes his first pilgrimage to Kumano, beginning the era of imperial pilgrimages.
1336
Emperor Go-Daigo establishes the Southern Court at Yoshino.
1594
Toyotomi Hideyoshi holds a famous cherry-viewing party at Yoshino.
1889
A catastrophic flood on the Totsukawa damages Kumano Hongū Taisha, which is later rebuilt on higher ground.
1936
Yoshino-Kumano is designated a national park on 1 February.
2004
The Kii Mountains pilgrimage landscape is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
2005
The coastal waters of Kushimoto are listed as a Ramsar wetland for their coral communities.
Through the seasons
Spring
Yoshino's cherries bloom from the lower to the upper slopes over several weeks from early April; azaleas follow on the ridges.
Summer
The pilgrimage season on the Ōmine ridge; rainy and humid, with dense mist on Ōdaigahara. Kumano Nachi Taisha's Fire Festival is held on 14 July.
Autumn
Beech and maple colour on Ōdaigahara and in the gorges from mid-October; typhoons can close roads and trails.
Winter
Snow and ice on the high ridges, where the mountain roads close; the coast stays mild and is pleasant for walking the Kumano Kodō.
Routes and trails
Kumano Kodō Nakahechi
The imperial route across the mountains from Takijiri to Kumano Hongū Taisha, usually walked in two to four days with stays in mountain villages.
Ōmine Okugake-michi
The Shugendō ridge route between Yoshino and Kumano, a demanding multi-day traverse with few facilities.
Ōdaigahara east circuit
A loop from the visitor centre via Hidegatake, Masaki-ga-hara and Daijagura through spruce and beech forest, about four hours.
Kumano River boat route
The river stretch between Hongū and Hayatama, once travelled by pilgrims and served by traditional river boats.
Dorokyō by jet boat
Water-jet boats run up the Kitayama River into the gorge from Shingū and Kumanogawa.
Practical notes
- Public transport is sparse: Kintetsu trains reach Yoshino from Osaka, JR Kisei Line trains serve the coast, and buses link the Kumano shrines.
- Ōdaigahara receives some of the highest rainfall in Japan; waterproof clothing is essential and trails can be slippery.
- Western Ōdaigahara (Nishi-Ōdaigahara) is a regulated-use zone with a daily visitor limit and prior registration; check the Ministry of the Environment's park pages before going.
- The Sanjō-ga-take summit area is closed to women by religious tradition; alternative routes avoid the restricted zone.
- Bears inhabit the mountains; carry a bell and store food securely.
Frequently asked questions
Which World Heritage sites are in Yoshino-Kumano National Park?
Most of the Kii Mountain Range World Heritage property lies in the park, including Yoshino and Ōmine, the three grand shrines of Kumano and much of the Kumano Kodō. Kōyasan, the third sacred site, lies outside it.
What is the highest mountain in the park?
Hakkyō-ga-take in the Ōmine range, 1,915 m, which is also the highest peak of the Kansai region.
When do the Yoshino cherries bloom?
Usually from early to late April, starting at the Shimo Senbon area at the foot of the ridge and moving upwards to Oku Senbon.
Can women climb Sanjō-ga-take?
No. By religious tradition the summit of Sanjō-ga-take in the Ōmine range remains closed to women, while the rest of the range is open to all.
Why does the park include coral reefs?
The warm Kuroshio Current flows close to Kushimoto, allowing large table corals to grow far north of the tropics; these waters are a Ramsar wetland.
Related
Sources
- 1.環境省_吉野熊野国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 2.環境省_国立公園_国立公園一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 3.Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- 4.National Parks of Japan (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan