Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine
In ancient Japanese, "Kumano" means a deep or profound place, indicating a mystical place or one where a deity exists. Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Shrine is the top shrine of the more than 3,000 Kumano Shrines which are located throughout Japan. The stone stairway leads up to the sanctuary where visitors worship. Towards the back of the inside of the sanctuary is the main shrine which enshrines 14 deities. Until 1890 this was located in nearby Oyunohara. Having been damaged by flood, however, it was relocated to its present site. The main shrine retains an atmosphere of long ago, conveying the fervency with which people worshipped at this shrine in days past. Enshrined at here is an image of the deity Ketsumimiko-O-kami which was made between the 9th and 12th centuries from a single block of wood of the torreya tree. The image is designated by the national government as an Important Cultural Property.
Address: 1110 Hongu, Hongu-cho, Tanabe-shi, Wakayama
Admission Fee: Free in the shrine precincts
Shinpo-kan (Treasury Hall): 500 yen (regular fee)
[Bus]JR Shingu Stn./Bus/1-hr. 10-min. ride/Hongu Taisha-mae Stop/3-min. walk