Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain
Range
This is 2 hours and half course from Tanabe
city to Kumano Shrine. The fee is 30 USD from Tanabe city.
The locations and paths for this heritage site were based on their historical
and modern importance in religious pilgrimages. It was also noted for
its fusion of Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, and a well documented history
of traditions over 1,200 years. The nature scenery on the Kii peninsula
was also taken into consideration, with its many streams, rivers and waterfalls.
Several pilgrimage trails were established, and amongst them the Nakahechi-do,
Kohechi-do and Ohechi-do, collectively known as the Kumano kodo (Old road
of Kumano). Walking focuses on part of the Nakahechi-do, which weaves
its way through the forested mountains and small villages to the Grand
Shrine of Hongu, before finishing at the Pacific Ocean at Nachi Grand
Shrine.
The walking is mostly paved village paths and unpaved mountains trails,
with considerable ascent and descent on certain days.