Takahara Kumano Shrine, Kumano shrine in Tanabe, Japan
Takahara Kumano Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the mountain village of Takahara, on a ridge above the city of Tanabe, Japan. The main hall follows the Kasuga-zukuri style, with a cypress bark roof, painted decorations, and the characteristic chigi and katsuogi ornaments along the roofline.
According to shrine tradition, the deity was invited from Kumano Hongu Taisha in 1402, though an inscription on the back of the hanging Buddha image gives 1403; either way the founding falls in the Oei era (1394-1428). The shrine is not found in Heian or Kamakura records and is usually not counted among the Ninety-Nine Oji. The main hall was rebuilt in 1532 and is considered the oldest building along the Nakahechi route.
The shrine is also called Takahara Oji and appears as such in the 1474 Oji-ki, though it is not normally counted among the Ninety-Nine Oji. The grounds form part of the Southern Mandala landscape designated in 2015. The village maintains a rest hut for walkers on the Kumano Kodo.
The shrine is reached on foot along the Nakahechi route of the Kumano Kodo, with the uphill walk from Takijiri-oji taking a few hours. Sturdy footwear is a good idea since the path climbs steadily through forested terrain.
Takahara is known in Japanese as the 'village in the mist' because the valley below often fills with fog, creating what looks like a sea of clouds. This effect is most visible in the early morning, before the mist rises.
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