Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the and Pilgrimage Routes - Kumano Sankeimichi - I

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the

   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.

   Read the complete Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the is where the day begins. Next is Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki.

2. 2. Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki

   Water falls a hundred and thirty-three metres in a single drop at Nachi, the highest single fall in Japan, and it is not just a scenic attraction but a god. The Nachi no Ōtaki has been worshipped since long before the shrines were built, as a place where a kami lives, and the Kumano Nachi Taisha, a vermilion shrine on the hillside, was set up to honour it. Next door, the Buddhist temple of Seiganto-ji, with its three-storey pagoda in front of the falls, is one of the most photographed views in Japan, and shows how the two religions lived side by side.

   Read the complete Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki comes up about 52 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pilgrimage Routes - Kumano Sankeimichi - I.

3. 3. Pilgrimage Routes - Kumano Sankeimichi - I

   The Iseji is the eastern branch of the old pilgrimage roads to the three great Kumano shrines, running down the coast of the Kii Peninsula from the Grand Shrines of Ise to Kumano. For centuries, pilgrims followed it through forests and over passes, and stretches of its stone paving still survive in the hills, laid to keep the path usable in one of the rainiest parts of Japan. Owase, a little up the coast, regularly ranks among the wettest towns in the country, and the moss on the stones and the dripping cedar forests show it. The Iseji forms part of the UNESCO listing of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.

   Read the complete Pilgrimage Routes - Kumano Sankeimichi - I write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 93 km into the recorded legs you reach Pilgrimage Routes - Kumano Sankeimichi - I. Next is back through Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki.

4. 4. back through Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Kumano Sanzan - Nachi no Ôtaki, late in the day. Next is Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the.

5. 5. Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the. That is the ride.