[citation needed], The "Magose Toge" forms the boundary between Miyama, Kyoto and Owase, Mie. Those who hike the Kumano Kodo will follow in the footsteps of ancient emperors and samurai who made this journey in centuries past. Day 2 - Takahara to Chikatsuyu, 10 km / 6.5 miles 480m ascent and 520m descent today as you follow a mountain trail that winds its … A resort style ryokan in Taiji Onsen. Jan 1st, 2021 (Completion of Campaign) WOW! We did it and then some! Ohechi follows the coast from Tanabe to Nachi Taisha. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range", Kumano Kodo, from The Official Nara Travel Guide, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kumano_Kodō&oldid=1001519942, Tourist attractions in Wakayama Prefecture, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2019, Articles needing additional references from October 2007, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Wakayama Prefecture articles missing geocoordinate data, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 January 2021, at 01:44. These trails connect three of the country’s most spectacular shrines: Kumano Hongū Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha, and Kumano Hayatama Taisha, collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan. From here it is about 40 km of mountainous trail before one reaches the mystical Kumano Hongū Taisha. These shrines (the parent shrines for thousands of Kumano shrines throughout Japan) house, or “enshrine” the local divinities of Kumano. These trails were used by pilgrims to "Kumano Sanzan" (熊野三山) or the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Kumano Hongū Taisha (熊野本宮大社), Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) and Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社). We strive to keep Japan Guide up-to-date and accurate, and we're always looking for ways to improve. Visiting tips – Consider this 5-Day Osaka-Kumano-Wakayama area JR pass or this 7-day pass which covers a larger area. This trail has virtually disappeared due to development and the construction of modern roads. The history of this trail dates back as far as the year 600, when Buddhism first arrived in Japan. Kohechi was used mainly by Buddhist monks from the temple complex of Mount Koya. In ancient times this was a sacred pilgrimage reserved for emperors and samurai. The section between Takijiri Oji (outside central Tanabe) and Hongu is about 30 kilometers, and can be done in a comfortable two days' walk with an overnight stop in Chikatsuya Oji, where there are a few minshuku. The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route is one of the world's premier spiritual roads. Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage. [citation needed], In Hongū, pilgrims often did purification rites in Yunomine Onsen (Yunomine hot spring). History. 20 to 30 min to Kumano Kodo & Nachi area by car. The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage tour is a grounds-on fully-guided walking tour between the … Koya and visits to Nara & Kyoto. Deep in rural Wakayama Prefecture – but just a few hours south of Kyoto and Osaka – the UNESCO-recognized Kumano region is filled with spirituality and history, as well as beautiful landscapes, charming villages, hiking, and onsen (hot springs). Hiking Japan’s Holy Pilgrimage, Kumano Kodo. A moss-covered stone path stretches about 2 km into the beautiful cypress forest covered with ferns. – See here for some of the best Japan tours available. And chances are you’ll be staying at a ryokan that will have laundry service. This moderate walking trip focuses on beautiful scenery and nature, rural … These trails were used by pilgrims to "Kumano Sanzan" (熊野三山) or the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Kumano Hongū Taisha (熊野本宮大社), Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) and Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社). The Chikatsuyu-oji is about halfway, and most pilgrims stay the night here at a minshuku. Then you will enjoy reading this 376 pages book about the KUMANO KODO, thousand-year-old Pilgrimage trails in the Kii Mountains of Japan. Today, most of the coastal trails have disappeared with development, but several mountain trails and passes remain. The Kodo ("old ways") are a key part of the region's UNESCO designation, and have been in use for over 1000 years. Here is a complete guide on how to hike Kumano Kodo in Japan. It runs north to south and is 70 km long. Tsuboyu is a small cabin on the creek that runs through this isolated village, featuring a small rocky bath that is the only World Heritage hot spring open to visitors. The Kodo ("old ways") are a key part of the region's UNESCO designation, and have been in use for over 1000 years. Winding through the mountains of Honshu's Kii Peninsula, an area straddling Wakayama, Nara, Osaka and Mie prefectures, it's been walked by pilgrims on their quest for enlightenment for over a millennium. Kumano is the traditional name for the southern part of Japan’s Kii peninsula. It is a shrine in the town of Takijiri-oji, a starting point for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails. For over 1000 years, people from all levels of society, including retired emperors and aristocrats, have made the arduous pilgrimage to Kumano. The pilgrimage route is not an easy one through isolated mountains but it affords the pilgrim an opportunity to commune with nature, including large forests and clear rivers, and indeed many of the natural features along the way are considered to be deities. In my opinion, it’s Japan’s best-kept secret, but one that could easily blow up in future years – so go now! Located nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Osaka on Japan’s Kii Peninsula, the Kumano Kodo is a network of pilgrimage routes that have been in use for more than 1,000 years. Hiking the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage. ; Kumano Hayatama Taisha — A sacred space, three deities of Shintoism are said to have come to Earth on a rock near the shrine. Kumano Kodo (熊野古道, Kumano Kodō) refers to a network of pilgrimage trails through the southern Kansai region. Kami figure inside the small shrine at Inohana-oji. In Wakayama, Japan, a highlight of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage is the Kamikura Shrine. At the height of its use between the 10th and 15th centuries, Ohechi, along with Nakahechi and Kohechi, is estimated to have seen the passage of over 30,000 people each year. The Kumano Kodo refers to a set of four pilgrimage routes that lead to the Kumano Sanzan, or the three grand shrines of the Kumano sect of Shinto. O ur Gay Couple Pilgrimage Japan Kumano Kodo Part 1 – After our first days in Tokyo, we seriously wanted to go to our limits when making a Pilgrimage in Japan on the famous traditional Kumano Kodo route from Ki Tanabe to Nachi through the Wakayama mountains. It is the shortest route connecting Koyasan to Kumano but is a tough walk that traverses three passes of over 1,000 meters elevation gain. The Nakahechi route leads into the rugged interior mountains toward Kumano Hongū Taisha, and the Ohechi continues south along the coast. – If you are planning to hike one or several trails of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage, Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage is an indispensable guidebook with detailed maps, altitude charts, and tips. Join Kirkland on one of the world’s most ancient pilgrimages. The section between Hongū and Koguchi is called the Kogumotori-goe, and the section between Koguchi and Kumano Nachi Taisha is called Ogumotori-goe. A self-guided tour … Kohechi connects Kumano with Koyasan. Japan's Sacred Pilgrimage walk. Omine Okugake connects Kumano with Yoshino via Mount Omine. Both durations are great seasons to embark on this pilgrimage as it’s spring and autumn respectively with cooling weathers and stunning views. This is where your walk on the Nakahechi portion of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route begins. You will be hiking Japan’s most remote and rewarding journeys, the Kumano Kodō. Walk Japan’s ancient pilgrimage routes along the Kumano Kodo. They are the only pilgrimage routes besides the Camino de Santiago to be designated a world heritage site. More than just a means to reach the three shrines, the pilgrimage trails were designed to be a religious experience in themselves and often pass through difficult, even dangerous, mountain terrain. Kumano Kodo’s UNESCO Status. All rooms offer ocean view. Self Guided & guided walks . In addition to linking the shrines to one another, the Kodo pilgrimage trails link the Kumano area to Kyoto, Koyasan (the headquarter of Shingon Buddhism), Yoshino and Omine (centers of mountain worship) and Ise (Japan's most important shrine). After uncovering Kyoto’s most ancient shrines and pathways, we head off the beaten track to the Kumano Kodo region; one of Japan’s most remote and rewarding pilgrimage routes. Compared with other sacred sites in Japan, where women were banned, … Earth and stone paths traverse this remote, mountainous region of the Kii peninsula, passing by small farming villages and mossy stone monuments along the way. The trail has a long history of use by people with diverse belief backgrounds leading to mixed religious symbolism overlaid and incorporated into the setting and stages of the pilgrimage itself. This 40 km section of the Kumano Kodō is the only river pilgrimage route that is registered as a World Heritage site. Like Kohechi, Omine Okugake is a long, difficult and dangerous route that follows high mountain ridges and barely passes any towns for much of its duration. The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trail became popular in the 11th century among Kyoto's nobility and who are we to argue with that. The three main shrines of the Kumano Kodo, which led to the network of trails being inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, date back more than 1000 … [citation needed], From Kumano Hongū Taisha, most pilgrims went by boat on the Kumano River to Kumano Hayatama Taisha in the coastal town of Shingū. Once a sacred pilgrimage trail reserved for emperors and samurai, the ‘Kumano Old Road’ is today open to all seekers and wanderers, with plenty of intensely photogenic shrines and natural beauty along the way. Free Wi-Fi & shuttle from JR Kii Katsuura Sta. One of Japan's most remote and rewarding journeys, the Kumano Kodō hiking route weaves through the mountainous Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka. A small tunnel below the stone can be entered. Kumano has been the main centre of Japanese pilgrimage for over 1000 years. 14 Days | Pilgrimage Trekking in Japan. The tangible and intangible benefits of Japan’s Kumano Kodo pilgrimage experience to humanity is more important now than at any other time in history and must be preserved for future generations. The pilgrimage routes developed as a way for people to move between the sacred areas on the Kii Peninsula. While Japan has more than 3,000 Kumano shrines, what makes Kumano Sanzan unique is they are the sohonsha , or "head shrines" from which all other Kumano shrines trace their origins, making them some of Japan's oldest and most important religious sites. Maybe it was the bizarre costume/pilgrimage … It’s where you can disconnect and feel at peace with the nature around you. Stay tonight in a small, Japanese-style hotel in the tiny village of Takahara, or in a Japanese Minshuku in the nearby village of Kurisugawa. Kumano Kodo is the name of the ancient pilgrimage routes crossing Kii peninsula: Kumano (熊野) is Kii peninsula’s former name;; Kodo (古道) literally means "the ancient routes". This is where your walk on the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage begins with a 3-hour hike to the hill village of Takahara. The Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route is one of Japan’s most enchanting walks. This trail also has the best infrastructure and safest … It is lightweight, quick dry, and odor resistant. I didn’t realise this before I trekked the Kumano Kodo myself, but there are only two hiking routes that have UNESCO World Heritage status – this one and the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) in Spain. [citation needed], The "Iseji" route links Ise Grand Shrine with the Kumano Sanzan. The bath was used for purification rites and its legendary healing effects. The Kumano Kodo is a 70km 5-day pilgrimage taking you through the most beautiful countryside in Wakayama. [citation needed], The "Kohechi" route links Koyasan to the Kumano Sanzan. Already during the preparation period back home in Amsterdam for our one-month trip Japan, the 4-days trail through Japanese … The Kumano Kodo is a series of pilgrimage trails that criss-cross the Kii Peninsula. This mountaintop route is long and challenging, and consequently should not be undertaken without careful preparation. For the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage you’ll only need 3 to 4 shirts. The first pilgrims said to complete the pilgrimage of Kumano Kodo did so in the 800s. The Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail is why you travel to Japan. Japan’s Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage offers a different view of Japan; far removed from the modern cities, this is a world of forested slopes, hidden valleys, waterfalls, traditional villages, mosscovered stone deities and tranquil oji shrines.