A is a type of
Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
which enshrines the three Kumano mountains:
Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi [].
[Encyclopedia of Shinto]
Kumano Shinkō
accessed on October 6, 2008 There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan, and each has received its
kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
from another Kumano shrine through a process of propagation called or .
The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex in
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture ...
, which comprises (
Shingū, Wakayama
270px, Shingū city hall
270px, Shingū city aerial photograph
270px, Shingū Castle ruins
is a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 27,491 in 14649 households and a population density of 110 p ...
),
Kumano Hongū Taisha
is a Shinto shrine located in Tanabe, Wakayama, deep in the rugged mountains of the Kii Peninsula of Japan. It is included as part of the Kumano Sanzan in the World Heritage Site " (
acred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range". ...
(Tanabe, Wakayama) and Kumano Nachi Taisha">Tanabe, Wakayama">acred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range". ...