Kumano Hayatama Taisha

Meaning

At Shingū, where the Kumano River flows into the Pacific, vermilion-painted halls stand side by side. Beside them a great nagi tree that has lived a thousand years stands girded with a sacred rope, its leaves glinting, while on a rocky peak not far off rests the great boulder where the gods are said to have first descended to this land.

A sanctuary on the Kumano pilgrimage, set at Shingū at the mouth of the Kumano River. Pilgrims who had worshipped at Hongū after walking the mountain route are said to have come down the river by boat to reach it. In its precinct stands a nagi tree about a thousand years old, said to have been planted by Taira no Shigemori (a Natural Monument), and the nearby Gotobiki rock of Kamikura Shrine is held to be where the Kumano gods first descended. With the Kumano pilgrimage routes, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Field notes

Location

Kii Peninsula · Japan · N33.7° · E136.0°

Best time

Open year-round; late spring's fresh green and clear autumn are best

Getting there

A short walk from JR Shingū Station; the old river route by boat from Hongū also leads here.

Etiquette

A Kumano sanctuary; visitors follow the rules of worship, keep quiet, and do not touch the sacred nagi tree.

Sources

• · UNESCO World Heritage
• · Encyclopaedia Britannica

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