Kumano Hongu Taisha

History and Divine Virtue

The heart of the three grand shrines of Kumano, and head shrine of the thousands of Kumano shrines across Japan. Its principal deity, Ketsumimiko no Okami, is identified with Susanoo no Mikoto. In the Heian period, Kumano was revered as a "sacred ground of rebirth" that received all people regardless of rank or purity, and the processions of retired emperors and commoners alike were likened to "a trail of ants on the Kumano pilgrimage." The shrine originally stood at Oyunohara, a sandbank in the Kumano River, but after the great flood of 1889 part of its halls was moved to the present site. At the former precinct of Oyunohara now stands Japan's tallest torii gate, some 34 meters high. The three-legged crow Yatagarasu, said to have guided Emperor Jinmu, is known as the divine messenger of Kumano, and the precincts form part of the World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range." The cypress-bark-roofed halls stand encircled by cedar groves, keeping a stillness befitting the center of the Kumano faith.

Visiting Notes

• Climb the 158 stone steps to the cypress-bark-roofed halls; after worship, walk on to the former precinct of Oyunohara.
• The great torii at Oyunohara stands about 34 meters tall — rising from the rice fields, it is the emblematic sight of Hongu.
• You can post a letter from the black Yatagarasu postbox within the grounds.
• Walking the roughly seven kilometers of the Kumano Kodo from Hosshinmon-oji to the shrine is a popular way to arrive.

Deities and Location

Enshrined Deities

Ketsumimiko no Ōkami

Location

和歌山県田辺市本宮町本宮 (Wakayama)

Access

From Shingu Station or Kii-Tanabe Station (JR), take the bus to the Hongu-Taisha-mae stop

Lineage

Purification & Renewal, Moto-Ise & Mythology

Visiting hours, goshuin (shrine stamps), and festival dates change; please confirm the latest information through each shrine's official announcements. If you find an error in this entry, we would be grateful if you let us know.