is a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

located in the jurisdiction of

Tanabe, Wakayama Tanabe (, Latn, ja, Tanabe-shi, ) is a Cities of Japan, city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 70,972 in 35,076 households and a population density of 69 persons per km2. The total area of the city i ...

, deep in the rugged mountains of the southeast

Kii Peninsula The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan and is located within the Kansai region. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. The peninsula has long been a sacred place in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugendo, and many people wou ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is included as part of the Kumano Sanzan in the

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the Kii Peninsula in Japan. Selection criteria The locations and paths for this heritage site were based on their historical and modern im ...

". The main deity enshrined is Kumano

Gongen A , literally "incarnation", was believed to be the manifestation of a buddha in the form of an indigenous kami, an entity who had come to guide the people to salvation, during the era of shinbutsu-shūgō in premodern Japan.Encyclopedia of Shin ...

(熊野権現). All of the ancient

Kumano Kodō The is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes that crisscross the Kii Peninsula, the largest peninsula of Japan. These mountainous trails are used by pilgrims to the "Kumano Sanzan" (熊野三山) - the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Kumano Hongū ...

routes lead to the Grand Shrine. It was originally located at present , on a sandbank at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the

Kumano River The is a river in the Kii Peninsula of central Japan, located in Nara, Wakayama and Mie Prefectures. It is long and has a watershed of . The river rises from Mount Ōmine in the Yoshino-Kumano National Park in Tenkawa, Nara and follows a general ...

and Otonashi River. In 1889, it was partially destroyed in a flood and the remaining shrine buildings were relocated at its present site in 1891. Of the original five main pavilions only three were rebuilt. Four deities were moved there and the other eight are still enshrined there in two stone monuments. alt=Largest Torii in the world, left, Otorii In 2000, the largest

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

shrine gate in the world (33.9 meters tall and 42 meters wide) was erected at the entrance to the Oyunohara sandbank. It is an official gateway that designates the entrance to a sacred area. It signifies the division of the secular and the spiritual worlds. This torii is called ''Otorii'' (''o'' means "great") and is made of steel weighing 172 tons, which took about six months to make and another six months to assemble.

History

Hongu Taisha main temple Over 900 years ago a pilgrim wrote of a massive shrine grounds including five main pavilions enshrining 12 deities. Numerous other small temples and shrines could be found surrounding the main buildings. Over the centuries the pavilions were partially destroyed by periodic fires and flooding, but always faithfully rebuilt to their original state. The last fire was in 1776 and the buildings rebuilt again in 1803. The first drawing of the shrine grounds from over 800 years ago and the reconstruction that took place in 1803 are almost exactly identical. After the flood of 1889, the shrine pavilions were moved and rebuilt at their present location.

Architecture

The Kumano Hongu Taisha's pavilions are an outstanding example of Japanese shrine architecture. The use of natural unfinished materials allows it to blend effortlessly into the natural environment. Intricate joint works were used in the construction instead of nails. The thick roof gracefully sweeps forward extending over the stairs and the area in front of the shrine. It is made entirely of hinoki, Japanese cypress bark. The bronze ornaments on the roof top are characteristic features of shrine architecture. The X-shaped crosspieces that pierce the sky are called Chigi and the log like beams that are laid horizontally along and perpendicular to the ridge line are called Katsuogi. They add a dramatic highlight to the roof line. Unique to the Kumano Hongu Taisha is the space or corridor under the verandas of the pavilions. In the past, the pilgrims and ascetics would use this tiny refuge for meditation, prayer,

sutra ''Sutra'' ()Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a ...

copying, austere rites and even sleeping quarters. In fact, this is where Saint Ippen Shonin was enlightened. The Kumano Hongu Taisha is a mixture between Kasuga and Taisha styles but because of this sacred corridor it has also been referred to as the Kumano style.

Festivals

Kumano Hongu Taisha Spring Festival, the annual spring festival held 13–15 April every year, is not only a quintessential festival of Kumano but also intimately associated with the pilgrimage to Kumano and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. On April 13 fathers and their young sons purify themselves in the

sacred waters Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, spring (hydrosphere), springs, Water reservoir, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with th ...

of Yunomine Onsen before walking over the Dainichi-goe section of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route to Oyunohara wearing traditional costumes. The young boys have the character for big on their forehead and are forbidden to touch the ground. On April 15 the Kumano Deities are invoked to temporarily take up residence in a portable mikoshi shrine and return to their original site of descend, Oyunohara. The atmosphere is serene, traditional, authentic and inspiring. Yata-no-Hi Matsuri Fire Festival takes place on the last Saturday of August, in Oyunohara (Hongu-cho), in honour of

Yatagarasu is a mythical crowThe Book of Ancient Matters, The Book of Ancient Matters, Gakken, pp. 130, 138, 139. and guiding Kami, god in Shinto mythology. He is generally known for his three-legged figure, and his picture has been handed down since an ...

. This fire festival includes the parading of a fire mikoshi, a Taiko drum show, dancing, and fireworks.

Access

* Busses from: **

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...

Shingū Station is an interchange passenger railway station located in the city of Shingū, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, jointly operated by JR West and JR Central. Overview Shingū Station is the main railway station in Shingū, and plays an important role ...

Kisei Main Line The is a railway line that parallels the coastline of the Kii Peninsula in Japan between Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. The name takes the ''kanji'' characters from the names of the old provinces of and . The line is operated by Cen ...

** JR-West Kii-Tanabe Station blues **

Nanki–Shirahama Airport is a third class airport located in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan. It serves the southern part of the Kii Peninsula with three daily Japan Airlines round-trips to Tokyo International Airport. History Nanki–Shirahama Airport is ...

References

External links

Wakayama World Heritage Center

Kumano Hongū Taisha Official Site
(Japanese)
Kumano Sanzan Official Site
(Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumano Hongu Taisha category:Beppyo shrines category:Important Cultural Properties of Japan category:Kanpei Taisha category:Myōjin Taisha category:Shinto shrines in Wakayama Prefecture category:Taisha category:World Heritage Sites in Japan