Kumano Nachi Taisha ( 熊野那智大社 ) is a Shinto shrine and part of the UNESCO -designated World Heritage Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan . The Kumano Kodō route connects it to other sites under the same classification, which are primarily located in Wakayama Prefecture , Japan. The four sites on the route, classified as pilgrimage destinations and World Heritage Sites, are: 1) Nachi Taisha; 2) Hongū Taisha ; 3) Hayatama Taisha ; 4) Koya-san .
8-544: Kumano Nachi Taisha is also one of the three sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines: This classification is based mostly in Japanese history, as pilgrims would travel to all three sites to complete their pilgrimage. Kumano Nachi Taisha is an example of Buddhist and Shinto syncretism ( Shinbutsu shūgō ) nestled in the Kii Mountains, near Kii Katsuura, Japan. Cedar forests surround the site. The 133-meter Nachi Waterfall , worshiped at
16-426: A kami . The tree is alive with moss and ferns and other small plants growing on its ancient limbs. It is possible to enter the base of the tree, where there is a small altar for making offerings, and come out above ground level. Nachi-no-Hi Matsuri Fire Festival, performed on July 14 , is the major festival of Kumano Nachi Taisha. It is a fire festival in which six-meter-high portable shrines symbolically representing
24-567: A process of propagation called bunrei ( 分霊 ) or kanjō ( 勧請 ) . The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex in Wakayama Prefecture , which comprises Kumano Hayatama Taisha ( 熊野速玉大社 ) ( Shingū, Wakayama ), Kumano Hongū Taisha ( Tanabe, Wakayama ) and Kumano Nachi Taisha ( Nachikatsuura , Wakayama Prefecture). The three Kumano Sanzan shrines are
32-478: A unique example of shinbutsu-shūgō , the fusion between Buddhism and Japanese indigenous religion . The Kumano Sanzan site attracted many worshipers and became a popular pilgrimage destination. In the 11th century, pilgrims were mostly members of the imperial family or aristocrats, but four centuries later they were mostly commoners. The visit was referred to as the "Kumano ant pilgrimage" ( 蟻の熊野参り , Ari no Kumano mairi) , because they could be seen winding through
40-611: Is still considered a place of physical healing. Each shrine initially had its own separate form of nature worship. In the 10th century, under the influence of Buddhism, the three came to be worshiped together as the three deities of Kumano. Because at the time Japanese kami were believed to be emanations of buddhas ( honji suijaku theory), the three came to be associated with Buddhas. Kuniyasutamahime became associated with Sahasrabhūja Avalokiteśvara ( Senju Kannon , " Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara "), Bhaisajyaguru ( Yakushi Nyōrai ) and Amitābha ( Amida Nyōrai ). The site became
48-546: The Sōhonsha ("head shrines") of all Kumano shrines and lie between 20 and 40 km from each other. They are connected to each other by the pilgrimage route known as Kumano Kodō ( 熊野古道 ) . The great Kumano Sanzan complex also includes two Buddhist temples, Seiganto-ji and Fudarakusan-ji . The religious significance of the Kumano region goes back to prehistoric times and therefore predates all modern religions in Japan. The area
56-601: The Hiryū Shrine near Kumano Nachi Taisha, is believed to be inhabited by a kami called Hiryū Gongen . Also, there is a sacred tree at this site, the Sacred Camphor Tree , located between the Nachi Shrine ( heiden ) and Seigantoji temple . It is 850 years old and is said to have been planted by Taira-no-Shigemori (1138–1179). The straw rope ( shimenawa ) and paper flags show that this tree has been sanctified as
64-589: The purification of the waterfall with the fires from oversized torches is laboriously carried by men dressed in white. This article relating to Shinto is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kumano Shrine A Kumano shrine ( 熊野神社 , Kumano Jinja ) is a type of Shinto shrine which enshrines the three Kumano mountains: Hongū , Shingū, and Nachi [Kumano Gongen ( 熊野権現 ) ]. There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan , and each has received its kami from another Kumano shrine through
#57942