The Kumano Kodō, the ancient pilgrimage routes, link it with two other great shrines, Hayatama in Shingū and Nachi with its tall waterfall, and with the sacred mountains of Kōyasan and Yoshino further north. UNESCO listed the whole network in 2004 as one of only two pilgrimage routes on its register, the other being the road to Santiago de Compostela.
What makes Kumano special is its blend of Shinto and Buddhism, nature and devotion. Emperors and aristocrats in the Heian period made the arduous journey here dozens of times, and later ordinary people followed, believing that walking the routes washed away their sins. Hongū shrine originally stood on a sandbank in the river called Ōyunohara, until floods in 1889 destroyed much of it and it was moved to higher ground. A giant torii, one of the largest in the world, now marks the old site, rising above the rice fields like a gate to another world.
The riding here is wonderful but demands attention. National Route 168 follows the Kumano River gorge north and south through steep forested mountains, with cedars and cypress crowding the slopes and the river glinting far below. The road has been much improved, with tunnels and bridges, but side roads are often narrow, single-track and twisty, with blind bends, landslide debris after rain and the occasional sharp drop. Typhoon season, late summer to early autumn, can close roads entirely. Spring and late autumn bring the best weather and colours.
Hongū itself is a small village with a few shops and restaurants; for a proper choice of fuel and services you need Shingū, over twenty kilometres down the river. Nearby, the hot spring villages of Yunomine, Kawayu and Watarase make for a perfect rest stop; at Yunomine, Tsuboyu is a tiny cabin bath on the river that pilgrims have used for centuries. A soak after a day in the mountains is the best reward you could ask for.