Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, Religious pilgrimage network in Kii Mountains, Japan.
Three sacred regions across Nara, Wakayama, and Mie prefectures feature mountain temples, grand shrines, and forested trails spanning 1,200 kilometers of routes.
The routes formed in the 10th century when monks began linking Shinto nature worship with Buddhist teachings. Emperors and nobles from the capital traveled here to seek spiritual awakening in the mountains.
The name Kumano connects to ideas of rebirth and spiritual cleansing, so pilgrims today still wear white robes and leave prayers tied to sacred trees. Small shrines and stone markers along the trails invite walkers to pause for meditation.
Visitors can explore the three Grand Shrines of Kumano Sanzan by car in one day, with numerous temple lodgings offering meditation and vegetarian meals.
The 133-meter Nachi Falls, considered a deity and one of Japan's tallest waterfalls, stands alongside a three-story pagoda at Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine.
Location: Nara Prefecture
Location: Wakayama Prefecture
Location: Mie Prefecture
GPS coordinates: 33.83694,135.77639
Latest update: December 13, 2025 19:20
Kumano Hongū Taisha
414 m
Nachi Falls
20.7 km
Kumano Nachi Taisha
21.5 km
Tamaki Shrine
11 km
Seiganto-ji
21.4 km
Yunomine Onsen
2 km
Dorokyō
12.8 km
Doro-Hatchō
12.3 km
Akagi Castle
17.5 km
Maruyama Senmaida
17.1 km
Gyūba-dōji Statue
16.4 km奈良交通十津川営業所
11.7 km
Amida-ji
22.6 km
Kumanokodo Nakahechi Museum of Art
16 km
48 Waterfalls of Nachi
20.7 km
Nunobiki Falls
13.4 km
Nachi Primeval Forest
20.8 km
Okutoro
19.3 km
Mifunejima
21.4 km
Wakayama World Heritage Center
179 m
Kuwanoki Falls
19.5 km
Tafuke-ōji
21.6 km
Hisetsu Falls
16.3 km
Sacred Nagi Tree of Kumano Hayatama Taisha
22.5 km
Sonaezaki Sutra Mounds
776 m
浄泉寺
22.9 km
Futatsuno Dam
8.1 km
Kumano Hayatama Taisha
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