Kumano Nachi Taisha

History and Divine Virtue

One of the three grand shrines of Kumano, its vermilion halls standing partway up Mount Nachi. The principal deity, Kumano Fusumi no Okami, is identified with Izanami no Mikoto, and under the name Musubi-no-Miya — the shrine of binding — she has been worshipped as a deity of the fulfillment of wishes and of en-musubi, the tying of destined bonds. The faith springs from nature worship of Nachi Falls, which at a drop of 133 meters ranks among Japan's greatest; at the subsidiary Hiro Shrine, the waterfall itself is worshipped as the sacred body, with no shrine building before it. Within the grounds rests the Karasu-ishi, a stone into which, tradition holds, the Yatagarasu — the crow that guided Emperor Jinmu — transformed when its task was done. The view of the falls beyond the three-storied pagoda of the neighboring temple Seiganto-ji is celebrated as one of the defining vistas of Kumano. Together with Daimonzaka, the stone-paved approach through avenues of cedar, it forms part of the World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range." The annual grand festival each July, the Nachi Fire Festival, is renowned as a rite in which great pine torches purify the pilgrimage path with flame.

Visiting Notes

• At the subsidiary Hiro Shrine, you worship Nachi Falls at close range; the waterfall itself is the sacred body, so there is no shrine building.
• The view of the falls beyond the three-storied pagoda of Seiganto-ji is the emblematic image of Nachi.
• Daimonzaka, the pilgrimage approach, is a stone-paved path through cedar groves stretching about 600 meters — walking it makes the visit all the richer.

Deities and Location

Enshrined Deities

Kumano Fusumi no Ōkami

Location

和歌山県東牟婁郡那智勝浦町那智山 (Wakayama)

Access

From Kii-Katsuura Station (JR), take the bus to the Nachisan stop

Lineage

Purification & Renewal

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.