A Spiritual Journey: Kumano Odyssey

The only pilgrimage route in Asia designated as a World Heritage site, the trails of the Kumano Kodo have guided pilgrims for over 1,000 years

- Ian Bongso-Seldrup 

Wakayama, Japan’s epicentre of spirituality, is just an hour’s train ride from Osaka. Its pristine forested mountains, UNESCO heritage trails, sacred shrines, beautiful beaches and onsens, or natural hot springs, offer something for everyone. Whether you seek Nature, spirituality, adventure or wellness, Wakayama offers you unique experiences to cherish. It’s an escape to heal the mind, body and soul. In this second feature in a two-part series on Wakayama, we visit the Kumano Kodo, an ancient network of pilgrimage routes that lead to Kumano’s three grand shrines, Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha.

With its imposing mountains, rugged coastline, picturesque waterfalls, scenic rivers, and huge old-growth trees, the Kii Peninsula has been considered a mystical abode of the gods since ancient times. It is here that Shinto, Japan’s age-old tradition of Nature worship, would flourish, eventually fusing with the Buddhist beliefs introduced from China and the Korean Peninsula.

The Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples that emerged in the dense forests of the Kii Mountains have attracted pilgrims from all levels of society for more than a millennium. The network of pilgrimage routes, the Kumano Kodo, or “old ways”, are the key part of the region’s UNESCO World Heritage designation, along with three revered sites: Koyasan (the centre of Shingon Buddhism), Yoshino and Omine (centres of mountain worship), and Kumano Sanzan (the three grand shrines of Kumano). The complex web of tracks and paths links the sites together as well as to the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto.